Emergency Surgery Glossary

Inflammation of the peritoneum, often requiring emergency surgical intervention.

Presence of air or gas in the peritoneal cavity, often indicating bowel perforation.

Excessive bleeding after childbirth, defined as blood loss exceeding 500mL vaginal delivery or 1000mL cesarean delivery.

The initial systematic assessment of a trauma patient focusing on immediately life-threatening injuries using the ABCDE...

Temporary occlusion of the hepatic artery and portal vein to control hepatic bleeding during emergency surgery.

Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta - a minimally invasive technique to control hemorrhage in trau...

Emergency surgical opening of the chest cavity performed in extremis to restore cardiac output.

Physical examination finding where palpation of the left lower quadrant produces pain in the right lower quadrant, sugge...

Systematic intraoperative examination of the entire small and large bowel to identify injuries or pathology.

Systematic manual examination of the entire small and large intestine to assess for injury or pathology.

A planned re-exploration of the abdomen within 24-48 hours to assess tissue viability and remove nonviable tissue.

Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host response to infection. Common complication in emergency s...

Implementation of standardized emergency procedures for patients presenting with signs of hemodynamic instability or sho...

Air trapped in the subcutaneous tissue, creating a characteristic crackling sensation on palpation.

Emergency procedure creating an artificial opening in the trachea when conventional intubation fails or is contraindicat...

A bacterial infection occurring at or near a surgical incision site, classified as superficial, deep, or organ/space inf...

Provisional closure technique used when immediate definitive fascial closure is not feasible or advisable.

Life-threatening accumulation of air in the pleural space causing mediastinal shift and cardiovascular compromise.

Hospital protocol activating specialized trauma team for severely injured patients requiring immediate intervention.

Pelvic fracture pattern that disrupts the pelvic ring and may cause life-threatening hemorrhage requiring immediate stab...

Surgical technique using sutures to compress the uterine muscle and control postpartum hemorrhage by reducing blood flow...

Complete separation of the uterine wall layers, typically occurring during labor, requiring immediate surgical intervent...

Vacuum-assisted closure using negative pressure to promote wound healing in open abdominal wounds.

Abnormal twisting of a portion of the gastrointestinal tract around its mesentery. Causes bowel obstruction and potentia...