Abdominal Pain Flashcards
What are the history/exam red flags for mesenteric ischaemia?
- Pain out of proportion to tenderness
- AF
- Hypovolaemia
What are the history/exam red flags for bowel obstruction?
- Abdo pain
- Abdo distension
- Constipation
What are the history/exam red flags for DKA in a patient presenting with abdominal pain?
- Hx diabetes
- Altered BGLs
- Altered conscious state
What are the history/exam red flags for AAA/aortic dissection in a patient presenting with abdominal pain?
- Radiation to the back
- Pulsatile mass
- Sensorimotor disturbance
What are the history/exam red flags for pyelonephritis in a patient presenting with abdominal pain?
- Fever
- Loin pain
- Dysuria
- Haematuria
What are the history/exam red flags for testicular torsion in patients presenting with abdominal pain?
- Hot, red, swollen testes
- Bell-clapper deformity
What are the most common causes of centralised/general abdominal pain? What can’t be missed?
- Gastroenteritis
- Bowel obstruction
- Constipation
- DKA
- Perforated viscus/ectopic
- Mesenteric ischaemia
What are the most common causes of epigastric abdominal pain? What can’t be missed?
- Pneumonia
- PUD/gastritis
- Pancreatitis (vomiting/anorexia/Hx gallstones/absent bowel sounds/ascites)
- AMI (rapid onset/radiation/Hx heart disease)
- AAA/dissection (radiation/sensorimotor def/expansile mass)
What are the most common causes of RUQ abdominal pain? What can’t be missed?
- RLL pneumonia
- Hepatitis
- Pancreatitis (vomiting/anorexia/absent bowel sounds/ascites)
- Cholecystitis (Murphy positive/Hx gallstones/fatty diet)
- Cholangitis (fever/jaundice)
- Pyelonephritis (haematuria/fever)
- Renal infarct (haematuria/Hx AF)
What are the most common causes of RIF abdominal pain? What can’t be missed?
- Crohn’s
- Appendicitis
- Inguinal hernia
- Femoral hernia
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Testicular torsion
What are the most common causes of LUQ abdominal pain? What can’t be missed?
- LLL pneumonia
- Hepatitis
- Pancreatitis (vomiting/anorexia/absent bowel sounds/ascites)
- Pyelonephritis (haematuria/fever)
- Renal infarct (haematuria/Hx AF)
What are the most common causes of LIF abdominal pain? What can’t be missed?
- Diverticulitis
- Appendicitis
- Inguinal hernia
- Femoral hernia
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Testicular torsion
What are the most common causes of suprapubic abdominal pain? What can’t be missed?
- Crohn’s/UC
- Appendicitis
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Testicular torsion
- Cystitis
- Urinary retention
