ABSTRACT
The ‘acute abdomen’ is a big subject. It is used to describe a spectrum of surgical, medical and gynaecological problems, ranging from the trivial to the life threatening. A pregnancy test is an essential diagnostic step in all women of reproductive age with abdominal pain. Acute appendicitis is a common condition and usually requires appendicectomy. The findings of the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) show that operations performed in the middle of the night, often by rather junior staff, have a higher morbidity and mortality than those done the next morning. Intestinal obstruction is a common cause of an acute abdomen. It can occur at any point of the intestine and can even occur in more than one place at once, particularly if some disease process sticks several loops of bowel together.
