Acute Surgery Flashcards
Side effects of corticosteroids:
Corticosteroids (think CORTICOSTEROIDS):
Cushing’s syndrome
Osteoporosis
Retardation of growth
Thin skin, easy bruising
Immunosuppression
Cataracts and glaucoma
Oedema
Suppression of HPA axis
Teratogenic
Emotional disturbance (including psychosis)
Rise in BP
Obesity (truncal)
Increased hair growth (hirsutism)
Diabetes mellitus
Striae
What are the “3 I’s” of “Thumbprinting” ?
Infection (C.diff or salmonella colitis) / Inflammation (UC or Crohn’s) / Ischaemia (Ischaemic colitis)
Surgical Sieve “TIN CAN BEDs”
Trauma Infection Neoplasm Congenital Acquired Neuro Blood Endocrine Drugs Syphilis
List Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) differentials
Oesophageal carcinoma (Squamous/ adenocarcinoma)
Achalasia (LES dysfunction)
Oesophageal / peptic stricture
Hyperthyroidism
Oesophageal candidiasis (immunosuppressed patients)
Bulbar Palsy (CN IX - XII)
Trypanosomiasis (Chagas’ disease) tropical disease
GORD
Extrinsic Malignancies (lung/lymph node) can externally compress oesophagus)
Name the 3 Bacteria that can cause life threatening infections in patients with splenectomy.
Neisseria Meningitidis (aka Menigococcus) Streptococcus Pneumonia (aka Streptococcus) Haemophilus Influenza
Most common places for oesophageal metastases
The 2 L’s - Liver and Lungs
List differentials for a RIF mass
Appendix abscess / Mass (omentum envelopes inflammed appendix giving a mass like feeling on palpation)
Hepatomegaly
Crohn’s
Caecal carcinoma
Meckels diverticulum (paeds)
Ileo-ceacal stricture (Yersinia and TB - 2 rare but important differentials to be excluded with CXR)
List the causes of Pancreatitis
I GET SMASHED
Iatrogenic Gall stones Ethanol (alcohol) Trauma Steroids Mumps Autoimmune Scorpion bite Hyperlipidaemia ERCP Drugs (Azothioprine/ Anticonvulsants (ex. sodium valproate) / Antimicrobials (metronidazole) / Diuretics (ex. Thiazides and Furosemide)
List post surgical complications of GI surgery
Infection (Suture site/from laporotomy/UTI/ Hospital acquired pneumonia) DVT/PE Haemorrhage Obstruction Paralytic ileus (bowel goes to sleep) Anastomotic leak
Name the 3 Features of Charcot’s Triad and which condition this indicates.
Fever (usually with rigors)
Jaundice
RUQ pain
Ascending Cholangitis (infection of the biliary tree)
5 risk factors for acute cholecystitis
5F's Female Forty Fat Fertile Family History
Pregnancy / oral contraceptives (oestrogen causes more bile to be secreted into bile duct) / any condition that causes haemolysis (sickle cell disease etc) / Malabsorption (ileal resection / crohns)
What is the normal diameters of the Small bowel / Large bowel / Appendix / Caecum ?
3-6-9 rule
Small bowel <3cm
Large bowel <6cm
Appendix <6mm
Caecum <9cm
What is Murphy’s sign?
Apply pressure to RUQ and ask patient to inhale. Cessation of inspiratory effort due to pain in RUQ is indicative of Gall bladder Inflammation (i.e cholecystitis and not biliary colic).
Name 6 complications of gall stones
Acute Pancreatitis
Gall bladder mucocoele (mucous filled overdistended gall bladder - can become infected and lead to empyema)
Porcelain gall bladder (calcified gall bladder wall)
Small bowel obstruction (lodge at ileo-coecal valve)
Ascending cholangitis (infection of biliary tree)
List the Glasgow-Imrie score criteria that determines the severity of Pancreatitis?
Remember Mnemonic PANCREAS (1 point for each)
PaO2 (<60 mmHg / < 8kPa ) Age (> **55** y/o) Neutrophilia (>15) Calcium (<2) uRea (>16) Enzymes (LDH > 600 AST/ALT > 200) Albumin (<32) Sugar (glucose >10)
If 3 or greater - Severe pancreatitis is likely
https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/3287/glasgow-imrie-criteria-severity-acute-pancreatitis
State Courvoisier’s Law:
Painless jaundice and palpable RUQ mass is indicative that pathology is not caused by gall stones and thus an obstructing pancreatic or biliary neoplasm until proven other wise. Could also be a gall bladder stricture.
What is a Krukenberg Tumour?
Rare tumours that arise in the ovaries of women as a result of metastases of a gastric malignancy.
At what level of serum bilirubin does jaundice become clinically evident?
2-3 mg/dL or 34-51 µM
Normal Bilirubin: 0-21 µM
Name the most common infective organisms in ascending cholangitis
E.Coli (27%) / Klebsiella (16%) / Enterococcus (15%)
List the Features of Reynad’s Pentad and the pathology this pentad is associated with.
RUQ pain Fever Jaundice Hypotension Confusion
Cholangitis (patients may also present with tachycardia)
List the causes of cholangitis.
Usually due to obstruction of the biliary tree
Gall stones
ERCP
Cholangiocarcinoma
More rarely
Primary sclerosing cholangitis
Ischaemic cholangiopathy (damage/stricturing of biliary tree due to lack of blood flow).
Parasitic infection
What is the mortality rate of Cholangitis?
5-10% when treated with antibiotics
What is the initial steps of management in cholangitis
IV Fluids
Broad spec Antibiotics (do not delay and wait for culture results as these patients can become septic very quickly)
Analgesia
Other investigaitons
LFTs
Bloods (FBC)
Culture
Imaging:
Ultrasound for stones and duct dilatation
MRCP if dilatation but no stone identified on ultrasound
ERCP for biliary decompression sphincterotomy/stenting if stone identified.
Patient may need laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the long term.
If patient too unwell for ERCP then a percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) can be performed.
List the common sites of metastases for Colon Cancer.
Remember 3L’s : (oesophageal cancer is 2 L’s)
Liver
Lung
Lymph nodes
Also more rarely: Bone Peritoneum Brain Skin