Belly Aches: Diagnosing Abdominal Illnesses in Pediatric Patients
Timely diagnosis and treatment are important.
By Leslie Coplin, Executive Editor, AHC Media
Abdominal pain occurs commonly in children and can cause challenges for emergency medicines providers. Timely diagnosis and treatment are important to ensuring proper treatment and preventing morbidity. At the ACEP 2016 Scientific Assembly, Alfred D. Sacchetti, MD, FACEP, discussed common abdominal diagnoses that cannot be missed. When taking the initial history, it is important for providers to recognize the historian, whether it be a small child or a parent who has looked at Google and MedScape and is also providing a diagnosis.
According to Sacchetti, a member of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Reports editorial board, traumatic injuries, both to the abdomen and other parts of the body, can present as belly pain. He discussed current evaluation and diagnostic methods, including radiography and ultrasound, and provided case reports of specific pediatric abdominal injuries.
More than 8,500 emergency medicine professionals are meeting at ACEP16 in Las Vegas this week to participate in educational sessions and learn about the latest issues in emergency medicine. Visit AHC Media at Booth S2319 in the exhibit hall to pick up copies of our award-winning publications and meet some of the staff who work to deliver top-quality emergency medicine content to medical providers.