Abdominal Assessment Flashcards
What are the 4 types of abdomen contours or shapes?
Flat, rounded, distended, scaploid
When examining the abdomen what would you check for secondly?
Auscultation of bowel sounds
How long do you auscultate bowel sounds if you cannot hear them?
5 minutes
When examining the abdomen what do you do first?
Inspection
Where do you begin listening to bowel sounds first? What quadrant?
RLQ
How do you describe the bowel sounds?
Normal, hypo active, hyperactive
How long do you check normal bowel sounds for?
1 minute
What is the third Step you do when assessing the abdomen?
Percussion
What organ can you percuss in the abdomen?
Liver
Costovertebral angle of tenderness is
When you hit your flat non-dominant hand against your back.
-used in percussion
- shouldn’t feel any pain when vibrations occur
- pain signals kidney problems
What is the fourth step in assessing the abdomen?
Palpating
What type of palpation do you begin with first when assessing the abdomen ?
Light palpation is first.
Make circular motion through each of the quadrants.
Check for tenderness.
Describe deep palpation of the abdomen.
Deep palpation is done after light palpation.
You palpate 2-3 inches
Move clockwise!
What organ is described as solid viscera?
The liver
Describe the liver
Liver is found in the RUQ
Liver is the largest organ
Uses a hooking technique to palpate.
-hook under the right costal margin
Describe the spleen
Spleen is located above left kidney, just below the diaphragm, to the left of the stomach
LUQ
Normally not palpable
If you can feel the spleen that means there is something wrong
Describe the kidney
Found in the lower quadrants
Bottom potion of the right kidney may be palpated posteriorly.
Uses the duck bill technique
Left kidney normally not palpable
When can we palpate the uterus?
When a women is pregnant
Palpate above the symphysis pubis
How do we palpate the ovaries?
Palpate the RLQ and LLQ
What organs of the body need to be palpated manually?
Uterus and ovaries
Sigmoid colon
It is the s- shaped last part of the large intestine leading to the rectum.
Palpation is firm
Location LLQ
What does it mean if the colon is firm?
Could be a bowel or stool
Could also mean there is a mass
Cecum and ascending colon
Softer than the sigmoid colon
Cecum is a Pouch in the large intestine that receive chyme form the ileum and connects to the ascending colon.
What quadrant is the cecum found is
RLQ
What quadrant is the ascending colon found in?
RUQ
Transverse and descending colon are in what quadrant?
LUQ
You can feel upon palpation
Urinary palpation
Our muscular sac is what distends. It’s also known as a bladder.
Located behind the pubic bone
RLQ
You can palpate a full bladder.
What organs can you palpate?
Liver small section of the right kidney a bladder that is full Sigmoid colon Cecum Ascending colon Transverse Descending colon Uterus Ovaries
Where can the abdominal aorta be see?
In the abdomen 1-2 inches above the umbilical.
You can see the pulse when lying down
What vascular structure can you palpate?
The abdominal aorta
How should you assess the abdomen. What are the 4 steps in order.
Inspect, auscultate, percuss, palpate
