7 Flashcards
What should be inspected during an abdominal assessment?
Hands, mouth, eyes, skin (hydration, jaundice, anemia, cyanosis, clubbing, edema, lymphadenopathy).
What are the ‘5 Fs’ of general abdominal distension?
Flatus, feces, fetus, fat, fluid (ascites, ovarian cysts, urinary retention).
What should be assessed during auscultation in abdominal assessment?
Bowel sounds in 4 quadrants: present, absent, or hyperactive (high-pitched).
What are key points in abdominal percussion?
Normal: tympany. Dullness over liver/spleen indicates organomegaly. Percuss in a zigzag pattern (RLQ, RUQ, LUQ, LLQ).
What should be checked during abdominal palpation?
Start away from pain, assess clockwise, gentle palpation, deep palpation (3cm) for organomegaly (liver, spleen, kidneys).
What are specific palpation signs to consider?
Rebound pain (worse on letting go), guarding, rigidity, Murphy’s sign (pain on inspiration - cholecystitis), Rovsing’s sign (LLQ palpation causing RLQ pain - appendicitis), Psoas sign (backward thigh extension causing RLQ pain - appendicitis).
What are the red flags in abdominal assessment?
Severe or persistent pain, GI bleeding, unintentional weight loss, severe vomiting, jaundice, abdominal mass.
What does JACCOL Stand for
Jaundice
Anaemia
Cyanosis
Clubbing
Oedema
Lymphadenopathy
Where do you auscultate
4 quadrants and aorta
What can bowel sounds be
present, absent or hyperactive (High pitched)
what does high pitched bowel sounds indicate
Early stage of bowel obstruction
What causes high pitched bowel sounds
air and fluid moving through a narrowed section of the intestine, creating a “ tinkling” sound
How to test for rebound tenderness
Hold Briefly: Maintain pressure for a few seconds to allow the tissues to adjust.
Release Quickly: Suddenly remove your hand.
Rebound tenderness indicates
peritonitits
Murphys sign indicates
Cholecystits
how is murphys sign performed
ask the patient to take a deep breath while the examiner presses on the right upper quadrant of the abdomen
How to perform Rovsings test
Palpate LLQ try to elicit pain on the RLQ
How to perform Obturator sign
The patient lies supine (on their back).
The examiner flexes the patient’s right hip and knee to 90 degrees.
The examiner internally rotates the hip (moves the foot outward while keeping the knee in place).
Obrurator sign indicates
Positive for appendicitis
