Lecture 11 (GI/GU/GYN) Flashcards
GI Emergencies (overview)
GI Emergencies
Gastrointestinal Emergencies
* What are two types of assessments?
Life threatening condition that may require immediate surgery (AAA, peritonitis, trauma)
Vs.
Time to work-up the patient (may have a little time to work up if ruptured appendix)
Gastrointestinal Emergencies
* What is disposition?
Emergency
* If the patient is hemodynamically compromised?
* You don’t always have the luxury of what?
* This is why you need to have good skills at what?
* You should use your tests, in general, only to do what?
* Do not deley what?
- If the patient is hemodynamically compromised, you need to treat presumptively
- You don’t always have the luxury of time to do a diagnostic work up
- This is why you need to have good skills at obtaining a history and doing an exam
- You should use your tests, in general, only to confirm your suspicion; you should know your working diagnosis when you leave the patient’s bed
- Don’t delay consultation in sick patients
Associated symptoms:
* GI:
* GU:
- GI: Anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, bleeding, weight loss
- GU: Dysuria, hematuria, frequency, urgency, hesitation, incontinence, polyuria, nocturia
Associated symptoms:
* GYN:
* Vascular:
- GYN : Menstrual history, contraception, fertility, sexual activity, STD’s, vaginal discharge, dyspareunia
- Vascular (think mesenteric ischemia if postprandial pain): Any ischemic disease, A fib, anticoagulation, CHF, AAA (including family history)
Approach to the Patient
* What information do you need to collect from patient?
Physical Exam
* What is first?
* What do you need to inspect?
* What do you hear with auscultation
As always: Vital Signs after ABC
Inspection
* Pt moving about (kidney stones) or lying completely still (peritonitis)
* Jaundice/manifestations of chronic liver disease
* Scars, distention, masses, fluid state
Auscultation – not helpful
* Hypoactive or Absent, Normoactive, or Hyperactive “Rushes of gas”
Physical
* What is percussion for?
* What is palpation for?
* What are the special tests?
- Percussion – fluid and to test rebound tenderness
- Palpation - guarding
- Special Tests (psoas, rovsign, obturator, murphys, carnett, Cullen, grey-terner etc.)
Carnett sign – abd wall tenderness (hematoma in muscle) or abd cavity pain (peritonitis). Sit up and see if pain occurs -muscle pain.
PE Always Includes:
* What are you looking for in pelvic or male gential exam? Do not forget what?
* What do you look for in rectal exam?
Abdominal pain can be REFERRED pain
* Consider what?
* Think of hernia when?
- Consider Cardiopulmonary Etiology
- Consider GU, GYN Etiology
- Think of Hernias with SBO (2nd common most cause)
Abdominal pain can be REFERRED pain
* Remember what?
* Consider what?
* Always think about what?
- Remember Toxic-Metabolic Etiologies (DKA)
- Consider Neurogenic Causes
- ALWAYS think of Vascular Causes
* ALWAYS consider AAA, mesenteric ischemia/infarct
Elderly Patients
* How many of elderly patients presenting with abdominal pain die? Why?
- 11-14% of elderly patients presenting with abdominal pain die->This doubles if the ED makes an incorrect diagnosis
- Poor historians, delayed presentation, decreased pain perception, decreased signs/symptoms, decreased febrile response to infection.
Elderly Patients
* What might be missed?
* Higher what?
- Volume depletion may be missed if a normally hypertensive patient is normotensive
- Higher surgical risk and increased comorbidities
Elderly Patients
* What should you be thinking about? (4)
- Acute mesenteric ischemia
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Diverticulitis
- Sigmoid volvulus
Elderly Patients
* What are the sxs of acute mesenteric ischemia?
“Pain out of proportion to exam,” or postprandial pain. Anion gap lactic acidosis. On PE – normal abdomen that’s soft but they say they have 10/10 pain.
What lab work do you need to do?
- CBC – WBC count is of limited value
- Serial H&H – in GI bleeds
- CMP-fairly routinely done-may indicate metabolic abnormality related to present illness
- UA
- Hepatic Panel (part of CMP)
- PT, PTT
- Amylase, Lipase
- Pregnancy – any female of child-bearing age (6-60)
Imaging: X-rays
* Use of xrays for what?
* What series should you do to see free air?
* What x-ray if good for obstruction or constipation?
See free air-> Surgery
What is going on here and what does it suggest?
- Air under diaphragm
- Suggests perforation
What is going on here? Recall what rules?
- AF Levels
- Recall diameter of bowel, i.e. 3(small intestine)/6 (large intestine) /9 (cecum) rule.
- When is Ultrasound useful?
- When is Abdominal CT with contrast useful?
- When is Ultrasound useful? Looking for fluid, trauma, cholecystitis, pregnancy, pancreas/biliary tree. Good with lower or normal BMI.
- When is Abdominal CT with contrast useful? Not for unstable patients. Use for most internal organs pathology-> under BMI of 21.5 the use oral constrast
Resuscitation:
* What fluids do you give?
* Give what if indicated?
* What meds should you give?
- Crystalloid fluids
- Blood if indicated
- Pain meds (avoid opiods because decrease bowel mvts)
Resuscitation:
* When do you give antibiotics/
* What should you cover?
- Suspected abdominal sepsis
- Peritonitis
- Cover suspected organism: Gram (-) aerobes, anaerobes, flagellates
* Metro
* Pip/tazo
* Ceftri+metro
* Bactrim +metro
* E.coli: in perf->Amoxicillin
Where is an upper GI bleed and Lower one?
- Upper: proximal to the Ligament of Treitz (duo, stomach)
- Lower: distal to Ligament of Treiz
Ligament of treitz: separates duo from jeju-> RUQ medial portion
GI bleeds: Historical clues
* What should you be looking for?
* Recent what?
- Melena (dark stool) vs Hematochezia (bright red stool)
- Recent vomiting and retching followed by hematemesis->Mallory-Weiss (boerhaave rarely present with bleeding – goes to mediastinum).
GI bleeds: historical clues
* When should you think about varices?
* When should you think about peptic ulcers?
* What do you need to order with a patient taking coumadin?
- Cirrhotic patient w/ portal HTN presenting with hematemesis? Stigmata of liver disease? Varices.
- History of NSAID/ASA use? Peptic Ulcers
- Patient taking Coumadin? Do PT/INR
Upper GI Bleeding
* What are major examples of upper GI bleeds?
- Peptic Ulcer Disease
- Erosive Gastritis, Esophagitis (irritants like ASA)
- Esophageal & Gastric Varices (portal HTN)
- Mallory-Weiss Tears
What are examples of other upper GI bleeds?
- Stress Ulcer
- AV malformation
- Malignancy
- Aortoenteric fistula
- Spurious (ENT)
Lower GI Bleeding
* What are examples of lower gi bleeds? What are the sxs with it?
- Diverticulosis
- Carcinoma (usually not massive bleeding)
- Hemorrhoids (diagnosis of exclusion)
- Polyps, IBD, Infectious gastroenteritis (rarely massive bleeding)
- Meckel’s Diverticulum
- Angiodysplasia (AV malformation)->Often associated with HTN and aortic stenosis
Primary Management of GI bleeds
* _
* 2 what?
* What should you get?
* Labs including what?
- ABCs
- 2 large bore IVs and Monitor
- EKG
- Labs including coagulation studies & serial H&H
Primary Management of GI bleeds?
* What should you do early and why?
* NGT with what?
- Type and Crossmatch blood early
* Transfuse with asymptomatic Hgb <7, symptomatic <8. - NGT with gentle gastric lavage* (room temperature water) . None if facial trauma
- “Concerns that an NG tube may provoke bleeding in patients with varices are unwarranted”
Secondary Management of GI bleeds
* Get what?
* Early what for UGIB?
* What is occuring more frequently for LGIB? What are examples (2)
Get type and screen
Early Therapeutic Upper Endoscopy for UGIB
Earlier Therapeutic Colonoscopy for LGIB is now occurring more frequently.
* Technetium-labeled red cell scans may help locate site of bleeding if EGD and Colonoscopy are unrevealing
* Angiography may localize site with massive bleeds (requires active bleeds)
Secondary Management of GI bleeds
* What drugs do you give?
* What do you if drugs fail?
Drugs
* IV PPI (Protonix) for UGIB 2/2 PUD (EVERYONE BESIDES VARICES)
* IV Somatostatin (Octreotide) and prophylactic ABX for UGIB 2/2 esophageal varices (hx of alcoholism, nose varices, voimiting blood)
Surgical intervention if pt fails medical tx.
What can you give someone with warfran OD and why?
- Kcentra – has all Vit. K dependent factors (2,7,9,10).
- FFP, Vit. K
OD reversals:
* heparin+LMWH
* Warfrain
* Dabigatran
* Rivaroxaban and apixaban
* Heparin and DOACs
- Protamine for heparin & partially LMWH
- Kcentra, Fresh frozen plasma and Vitamin K for warfarin
- Idarucizumab for the reversal of dabigatran (Pradaxa)
- Andexanet alfa for the reversal of rivaroxaban (Xarelto) and apixaban (Eliquis)
- Ciraparantag, a potential “universal” reversal agent (Covers heparin and DOACs)
Esophageal Emergencies: Dysphagia
* Protect what and why? Who is NPO?
* What is the progress of handling Structural/Obstructive causes?
- Protect the airway: Aspiration is a major concern
- All CVA patients are NPO until cleared by normal swallow study
- Structural/Obstructive causes: Most are worked up as outpatients as they are progressive in nature….BUT, If the patient is drooling or unable to swallow their own secretions, they need an EGD now.
Chest Pain secondary to GERD& Chest Pain secondary to diffuse esophageal spasm
* Difficult to distinguish from what?
* Err on the side of what?
- Difficult to distinguish from ischemic CP
- Err on the side of the patient: Rule OUT ACS first and then consider GI etiology
Esophageal Perforation
* What are all the causes of esophageal perforation?
What is going on here?
boerhaave syndrome-> perforation
Esophageal perforation:
* high what?
* What is the management?
What is going on here?
Mediastinitis
* Note superior mediastinum
What is this? What should you do?
Battery – 2hr window from swallowing to erosion of esophagus – do EGD.
What things must be removed?
- sharp objects
- multiple foreign bodies
- Most button batteries
- objects present more than 24 hours
- objects causing airway obstruction
- children with coins at level of cricopharyngeus muscle
What is this? what do you do?
- Packing – smuggling of drugs.
- Don’t stick anything up to butt. Do laxative
What is this? Put what?
Bottle in rectum. Bad because it creates suction – put the tube in
UGI Bleeding
* What are the sxs?
* What is the work up?
* What is the management?
- Sxs: Abd pain, hematemesis, melena, etc
- Work up: Ct with IV contrast of ab + pelvis
- Management: EGD, Octreotide (in ETOH)/PPI otherwise, PRBC if hgb is less than 7
Perfortion
Sxs: - (just happen, no inflammation to spilled content)/+ pain, peritonitis signs if late
Management: ABCs, 2 large IVs, surgery, labs, type and screen, fluids, anx
Acute Appendicits:
* Causes?
* Most common in who?
- Cause: Obstruction of the appendix by a fecalith (most common), inflammation, foreign body, or neoplasm
- Most common between age of 10-30 years old.
Acute Appendicitis
* How do you dx?
* What patients are at risk for misdiagnosis?
Clinical Diagnosis
* Describe the typical history
* Typical Exam of abdomen-> Typical signs found on exam
* Start with periumbilical pain. Appendicitis pats don’t have Diarrhea (GE does), but do anorexia (hamburger sign), N/V etc.
* Patients at risk for misdiagnosis: <6 y/o, elderly patients, pregnant patients, & anatomic variations of the location of the appendix
* Pregnants can have pain in RUQ and not always localizes
Acute Appendicitis
* What tests?
- WBC doesn’t help
- CT scan if you are unsure
- May risk stratify child with Pediatric Appendicitis score (look up on MDCalc)
What is the management of acute appendicitis
Constipation:
* What do you need to rule out?
Obstruction: not passing gas + vomiting
Intestinal obstruction
* SBO most common in who and when?
* What is the second MCC?
* What are the typical sxs?
SBO in Adults
* Most commonly caused by adhesions after abdominal surgery
* Second most common cause is incarceration of a groin hernia
* Don’t get BURNED! ALWAYS do a hernia exam in a patient with SBO
* Typical symptom progression: vomiting food, then bile, then fecal matter
Intestinal Obstruction: LBO
* MC caused by what?
* What do you need to do and why?
- Most commonly caused by neoplasms
- Fecal Impaction – Always do a rectal exam
Intestinal Obstruction
* Think about what in children and elderly?
Think about intussusception in children and volvulus in elderly
Intestinal Obstruction
* SBO: imaging and hx?
* LBO: hx?
- SBO – on KUB cant always see normal gas pattern. Hx wise – vomiting food, then bile, then feces.
- LBO – usually no nl haustra and is lower in pelvis. Primary problem is constipation.
Intestinal obstruction
* Sxs?
* Exam findings?
* Work up?
- belly pain, rigidity, N/V, -/+ fever
- Work up: x-ray, ABCS, IV fluids, labs, anx, pain, N/V control, NG tube needs to be placed
What is the management of intestinal obstruction?
SBO – do fluids and do NG tube.
Sigmoid Volvulus
* Colon does what?
* Typical in who?
* Recall what?
- Colon twists on mesentery and forms closed loop obstruction & torsion
- Typical in elderly or psych
- Recall coffee bean sign
Hernias: ingunial
* more common in who?
* What is indirect and direct?
Inguinal (more common in males)
* Indirect passes through internal inguinal ring
* Congenital, incarcerate frequently in 1st year of life
* Direct passes through Hasselbach’s Triangle
* Acquired, rarely strangulate or incarcerate
Hernias: femoral
* more common in who?
* Where does it go through?
Umbilical: Rarely what?
* What is it?
What are other hernias? (2)
Strangulation – cut off BS. Sx emergency.
Incarcerated – non reducible.
Terminology & Clinical Applications
* What does reducible mean? How do you do it?
* What does incarcerated mean?
- Reducible – can be returned to its normal anatomic position of manipulation
* Place pt in Trandelenburg, apply ice to area and give them some morphine. With constant gradual pressure, attempt to reduce hernia - Incarcerated – cannot be reduced->This can be acute or chronic
Terminology & Clinical Applications
* What is strangulation?
Strangulation – there is vascular compromise and development of gangrene in an incarcerated hernia
* This is an emergency; patient may be toxic, may have a bowel obstruction or perforation
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
* Sxs?
* What is the work up?
- Signs/Symptoms: Pain and Diarrhea are predominant symptoms
- Work-up: CBC/CMP/Stool studies
Diarrhea is a predominant Sxs. Always r/o infection – do CBC/CMP and stool studies.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
* What is the management?
What is this? What can this be a complication of?
toxic megacolon-> UC or C.diff complication
Toxic Megacolon
* What is it?
* What is the dx criteria? (3)
Nonobstructive colonic dilatation larger than 6 cm & signs of systemic toxicity.
Diagnostic criteria.
* Radiographic evidence of colonic dilatation
* Any 3 of the following: fever (>101.5°F), tachycardia (>120), leukocytosis (>10.5), or anemia.
* Any 1 of the following: dehydration, altered mental status, electrolyte abnormality, or hypotension
Toxic Megacolon
* What is the management?
Consult Sx and GI. Can treat with Prednisone but really have to deal with Sx.
Pseudomembranous colitis
* What is it caused by? (bacteria)
* When should you suspect it?
* What can can cause the bacteria to overgrow?
* Must test for what?
Pseudomembranous colitis
* What is the txt?
* What are the sxs of severe diarrhea?
- Admit to hospital and RX PO vancomycin or fidaxomicin – 1st line
- PO flagyl (2nd line tx if no access to vanco)
- Severe diarrhea: volume depletion, electrolyte imbalance; systemic response (fever, leukocytosis, severe abdominal pain); failed outpatient management
Ischemic Colitis
* What is the sign of mucosal edema with mesenteric ischemia?
Thumbprinting – projections – best CT is Mesenteric Angiography to see vessels.
Ischemic Colitis
* Common in who?
* What are the sxs?
* What is the management?
* What are the Blood test?
* Imaging?
- Elderly patients & patients at risk for vascular disease
- Signs/Symptoms: Pain disproportional to exam findings
- Management: IVF, ABX, NPO, Surgery
- Blood test: Lactic acid (If Lactic level is normal, it is not IC)
- Imaging test: CTA Abd/Pelvis
Ischemic Colitis
* What is the txt?
Tx by IV fluids, NPO, consult GI/Sx.
Diverticulitis
* What are the sxs?
* What does the PE show?
- SXS: LLQ pain, fever, diarrhea or constipation, RLQ pain with ascending colonic diverticulitis.
- PE: low grade fever may be present, localized tenderness and guarding, occult blood may be present. Peritoneal signs with perforation
Diverticulitis
* What is the imaging of choice?
* What was historically avoided but now it is good for you?
- CT is imaging test of choice if indicated
- Avoidance of nuts/seeds/popcorn is refuted, its actually beneficial
Diverticulitis Management
* What is the outpatient management?
- Bowel rest and low-residue foods added to diet when symptoms improve.
- Antibiotics: metronidazole (Flagyl) + Keflex or Bactrim
If mild – can send home with soft diet as tolerated. Add cipro or keflex or bactrim to cover E. coli.
Diverticulitis Management
* What is the inpatient txt?
Admit, NPO, IV broad-spectrum, abx and surgical consult if any signs of systemic infection, presence of abscess, signs of peritonitis, or failed outpatient management
Txt:
* Acute, painful, recently thrombosed external hemorrhoids
* Anal fissure
Acute, painful, recently thrombosed external hemorrhoids
* excision of the clot w/ elliptical skin incision
Anal Fissure
* WASH treatment, topical analgesics
Treatment:
* Anorectal Abscess
* Pilonidal Abscess
I&D in the ER – only perianal abscessess. All others have to go to OR (like supralevator).
Management of vomiting and diarrhea
* _
* Give and study what?
* Control what?
- ABC’s
- Fluid replacement, electrolytes, stool studies
- Control vomiting (Zofran, promethazine; metoclopramide {pregnancy})
Management of vomiting and diarrhea
* What do you give for infectious diarrhea?
* What do you not give? What is safe?
- Infectious diarrhea: ciprofloxacin, metronidazole
- Antimotility agents: Do NOT RX with bloody/infectious acute diarrhea. Loperamide (Immodium) may be safe; Lomotil is not well studied; be cautious
Acute Jaundice
* What are three causes?
Massive Hemolysis
Fulminant Hepatic Failure
Ascending Cholangitis
Hepatic Disorders & Hepatic Failure
* What is Fulminant Hepatic Failure:?
* What are the labs?
- Fulminant Hepatic Failure: acute hepatocellular necrosis with rapid encephalopathy and liver failure developing in less than 8 weeks
- Labs: CBC,CMP, PT/inr, Hep panels, Admit to ICU, Ammonia