What are the Emergency abdominal conditions and surgeries?

Intestinal Obstruction

Intestinal Obstruction is a mechanical (hernias, volvulus, adhesions, tumors, intussusception) or functional obstruction. Symptoms include pain abdomen, vomiting, constipation and abdominal distension. some causes of obstruction may resolve on its own and some require operative intervention.

Intestinal Perforation

Due to penetrating injury, blunt injury, peptic ulcers, malignancy, diverticulitis, typhoid and TB. Patient presented with pain abdomen, vomiting, abdominal distension, and abdominal signs like guarding and rigidity, and features of sepsis and shock. These patients require immediate resuscitation and operative intervention.

Abdominal Trauma

Blunt abdominal trauma can cause damage to the internal organs, resulting in internal bleeding, cause contusions, or injuries to the bowel, spleen, liver, and intestines. Patients can also present with extra-abdominal injuries such as extremity injuries. Abdominal trauma requires urgent medical attention and sometimes requires hospitalization.

Volvulus

Twisting of bowel on its own mesentery which leads to obstruction of bowel, strangulation and perforation of bowel. Various types of volvulus like gastric, midgut and large bowel (caecal, siagmoid ). Of these sigmoid is most common of all. Some cases may resolve by conservative management and some require operative intervention in the form of resection and anastomosis or Hartmann procedure.

Intussusception

Telescopic invagination of intestinal segment into proximal bowel. A lead point like Meckel's diverticulum, tumor, hematoma, polyp and vascular malformation trapped by peristalsis and dragged into distal segment of intestine and cause intussusception. These can be managed by operative intervention like resection and anastomosis.

Gastrointestinal Bleed

Can be upper GI bleed (up to ligament of treitz) or lower GI bleed. Presented with blood vomiting, blood in stools, black coloured stools. Upper GI bleeding is due to peptic ulcers, varices and malignancy. Lower GI bleed due to haemorrhoids, polyps, malignancy and diverticulosis. These patients require upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy. Some patients require operative intervention.