Acute Abdomen in the Emergency Department: the Emergency Surgeon Contribute

Acute abdomen is one of the most common causes of ED access. It is a clinical situation caused by a myriad of conditions, and which is still plagued by a high morbidity and mortality. In modern healthcare systems these patients are initially looked upon by Emergency Doctors (ED), who will call the Emergency Surgeons (ES) to review them when a diagnosis is already been achieved or at least suspected. Surgical perspective of patients with acute abdomen has changed over the last decades with a better understanding of sepsis, septic shock, conservative management, etc. As Emergency Surgeons we find it extremely useful to share with our Emergency Doctors friends these new concepts and how they may change the diagnostic approach to these patients. We plan to give an overview of acute abdomen and its most common underlying causes and how to best manage them, in the spirit of cooperation and multidisciplinary approach. 

We hope this special issue will be of interest to everyone involved in the treatment of patients with acute abdomen.