Abdominal pain is a common complaint that leads to pediatric patients seeking emergency care. The emergency care provider has the arduous task of determining which child likely has a benign…

Abdominal vascular catastrophes are among the most challenging and time sensitive for emergency practitioners to recognize. Mesenteric ischemia remains a highly lethal entity for which the history and physical examination…

Acute gastrointestinal bleeding is a commonly encountered chief complaint with a high morbidity and mortality. The emergency physician is challenged with prompt diagnosis, accurate risk assessment, and appropriate resuscitation of…

Diarrhea generates a wide range of diagnostic considerations and has profound individual and public health significance. The setting and circumstances under which a patient presents with diarrhea drastically influences the…

Vomiting and abdominal pain are common in patients in the emergency department. This article focuses on small bowel obstruction (SBO), cyclic vomiting, and gastroparesis. Through early diagnosis and appropriate management,…

Patients commonly present to the emergency department with anorectal complaints. Most of these complaints are benign and can be managed conservatively; however, there are a few anorectal emergencies that clinicians…

Although most frequently presenting with lower abdominal pain, appendicitis, colitis, and diverticulitis can cause pain throughout the abdomen and can cause peritoneal and retroperitoneal symptoms. Evaluation and management of lower…

Epigastric pain is an extremely common complaint in the emergency department and has an associated broad differential diagnosis. In the differential it is important to consider cardiac causes that may…

The chief complaint of abdominal pain accounts for 5% to 10% of all presentations in the emergency department. With such broad differential and diagnostic modalities available, this article focuses on…

Autumn C. Graham, MD, Editor Joseph P. Martinez, MD, Editor Abdominal pain remains one of the most common reasons for an acute visit to a health care professional. While many…