KEY TAKEAWAYS •
Abdominal pain can present with visceral pain, somatic pain, or referred pain.
•
Gastroenteritis presents with a constellation of symptoms that suggests an infectious process.
•
The aorta can rupture or dissect, leading to a number of symptoms. Rupture almost always leads to hypotension and imminent death.
•
Bowel obstruction is painful and results in abdominal distention, nausea, and vomiting.
•
Look for free air in the abdomen whenever a perforation of the GI tract is suspected.
•
Diverticulitis, cholecystitis, and appendicitis are specific infectious processes that lead to abdominal pain, leukocytosis, and the possible need for surgery.
•
Acute pancreatitis involves pain in the abdomen, usually of non-infectious origin.
27
