Gastrointestinal Emergencies

Book excerpt: This book answers key questions asked by emergency clinicians faced with complex gastrointestinal and abdominal pain presentations. Instead of a traditional format that includes epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment options, this book takes an approach that mirrors the way clinicians interact with patients – by asking and answering specific clinical care questions. The book is organized into sections by presentation – gastrointestinal bleeding, for example – each of which contains chapters on specific questions, such as “What is the best clinical risk score for low risk GIB patients?” Each clinical question comes with a detailed, evidence-based response and a summary that gives best practices, recommendations, and references. Additionally, at the end of each section is a chapter titled “Expert Corner,” which asks the same clinical questions to a surgical or gastrointestinal specialist and includes key pearls these experts have for emergency medicine practitioners. Gastrointestinal Emergencies: Evidence-Based Answers to Key Clinical Questions is an essential guide for emergency medicine physicians, residents, and medical students who want to review and improve their care of acute gastrointestinal emergencies.