Handbook of General Surgical Emergencies

Sam Mehta, Andrew Hindmarsh, Leila Rees

Surviving ‘on take’. Working with the nursing staff. Working with the casualty department. Working with the radiology department. Working with anaesthetists. Communication with patients and relatives. Good surgical practice. Consent. Breaking bad news. Dealing with children. Evidence-based surgery. Clinical guidelines. Blood-borne diseases / universal precautions. Assessment of the general surgical patient. Fluid balance. Blood transfusion. Analgesia. Antibiotics and emergency general surgery. MRSA (Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus). Deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis. Preparing the patient for theatre. Preparing special patient groups for theatre. Critical care. Shock. SIRS and sepsis. The critically ill patient. Nutrition. Death and organ donation. Trauma. Abdominal trauma. Urological trauma. Vascular trauma. Spinal Trauma. Assessment of head injuries. Management of head injury. Burns. Hernias. Incarcerated / strangulated hernia. Breast disorders. Breast abscesses. Breast haematoma. Abdominal emergencies. The Acute Abdomen. Abdominal masses. Peritonitis. Gall stones. Biliary colic. Acute cholecystitis. Acute cholangitis. Jaundice. Dyspepsia. Perforated peptic ulcer. Oesophageal perforation. Acute pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis. Acute appendicitis. Meckel’s diverticulum. Diverticular disease. Emergencies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Abscesses. Gastrointestinal fistulae. Small bowel obstruction. Large bowel obstruction. Pseudo-obstruction. Volvulus. Gynaecological causes of the acute abdomen. Upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Lower gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Clostridium difficile diarrhoea and pseudomembranous colitis. Stomas. Abdominal compartment syndrome. Swallowed foreign body. Anorectal sepsis. Prolapsed strangulated haemorrhoids. Thrombosed perianal varix (perianal haematoma). Rectal prolapse. Pilonidal abscess. Deep venous thrombosis. Lower limb ulceration. Acute lower limb ischaemia. Acute upper limb ischaemia. Aortic dissection. Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Other aneurysms. Aorto-enteric fistula. Acute intestinal ischaemia. Acute retention of urine. Haematuria. Urinary tract infection (UTI). Acute pyelonephritis. Renal stones and colic. The obstructed kidney. The acute scrotum. Torsion of the testis. Torsion of the appendages of the testis. Acute epididymitis/epididymo-orchitis. Idiopathic scrotal oedema. Necrotising fasciitis. Paraphimosis. Priapism. Intussusception. Hernias. Pyloric stenosis. Necrotising enterocolitis. Malrotation of the gut. Pre-operative considerations.