Differential diagnoses of abdominal pain in emergencies.

Posted: February 3rd, 2024

You studied the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems in your readings last week.

This week, you completed a focused assessment of Brian Foster, a patient who was assessed for chest pain, adding an abdomen pain assessment.

• Please share your analysis of the subjective & objective data you collected during your assessment and provide your differential diagnoses, describing the clinical reasoning that helped you choose your diagnoses. 
• Share your individualized plan of care for Brian and include any lifespan or developmental considerations as well as cultural needs for this patient.

As you know, abdominal pain can be a challenging patient complaint because it is frequently benign, but it can also herald acute severe pathology. The history and physical examination are critical to narrowing the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain and guiding the evaluation. Acute abdominal pain frequently requires urgent investigation and management.

Many patients will require analgesics, which can be administered judiciously without compromising the physical assessment of peritoneal signs. 

• What are the common differential diagnoses of abdominal pain in emergencies?