Emergency Abdominal Surgery is a battleground for the surgeon - providing character-building experiences, and opportunities for triumph and disaster. In the third edition of this 'simple' book, emergency abdominal surgery is discussed in an informal and no nonsense fashion - as practiced in the 'trenches' of the ER and the OR. The preferred approach for a given situation is discussed in context; it has to fulfill certain prerequisites: save lives, decrease morbidity, be cost effective and be performed correctly.

General Philosophy

A Brief History of Emergency Abdominal Surgery
Part A Before the Operation: The Acute Abdomen
Rational Diagnostic Procedures
Abdominal Imaging
Optimizing the Patient
Preoperative Antibiotics
Family, Ethics, Informed Consent and Medicolegal Issues
Before the Flight: Pre-Op Checklist
Part B The Operation: The Incision
Abdominal Exploration: Finding What is Wrong
Peritonitis: Contamination and Infection - Principles of Treatment
The Intestinal Anastomosis (and Stomata)
Intestinal Stomas
Esophageal Emergencies
Diaphragmatic Emergencies
Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage (and Portal Hypertension)
Perforated Peptic Ulcer
Acute Pancreatitis: The Basics
Gallbladder and Biliary Emergencies
Acute Cholecystitis
Acute Cholangitis
Management of CBD Stones in Acute Biliary Pancreatitis
Small Bowel Obstruction
Acute Abdominal Wall Hernias
Acute Mesenteric Ischemia
Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Other Types of Colitis
Colonic Obstruction
Acute Diverticulitis
Massive Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Acute Appendicitis
Anorectal Emergencies
Surgical Complications of Endoscopy
Complications of Bariatric Surgery
Complications of Peritoneal Dialysis
Gynecological Emergencies
Urological Emergencies
Abdominal Emergencies in Infancy and Childhood
The AIDS Patient
Abdominal Emergencies in the 'Third World'
Asia
Africa
Penetrating Abdominal Trauma
Blunt Trauma and Rx of Specific Injuries
Blunt Abdominal Trauma
Operative Management of Individual Organ Injuries
The Abdominal Compartment Syndrome
Abdominal Aortic Emergencies
Abdominal Drainage
Abdominal Closure
Before Landing
Part C After the Operation: Postoperative Care
Nutrition
Postoperative Antibiotics
Postoperative Ileus Versus Intestinal Obstruction
Intra-Abdominal Abscesses
Anastomotic Leaks and Fistulas
Leaks Following Colonic or Rectal Anastomoses
Relaparotomies and Laparostomy for Infection
Relaparotomy
Laparostomy
Laparoscopic Abdominal Reexploration
Abdominal Wall Dehiscence
LIRS, SIRS, Sepsis, MODS, and Tertiary Peritonitis
Wound Management
Postoperative Bleeding
The Role of Laparoscopy
Complications of Laparoscopic Surgery
In the Aftermath and the M & M Meeting
Index.