Abdominal Pain/Vomiting

Objectives:

1. Create a differential diagnosis for abdominal pain and vomiting based on age, clinical features, and chronicity of symptoms.
2. Identify "can't miss" diagnoses that require immediate intervention.
3. Craft a lab and imaging work-up to help narrow down a differential diagnosis.

Articles:

• Acute Gastroenteritis, Pediatrics in Review 2012 - A dive into acute gastro, including a discussion on labs, fluids, and enteral feeding.
• Acute Abdominal Pain, Pediatrics in Review 2018 - Great review of differential diagnosis based on age and work-up details.
• Chronic Recurrent Abdominal Pain, Pediatrics in Review 2012 - Narrow in on chronic causes of pain, with a focus on functional causes and suggestions for when to involve a specialist. 
• Vomiting in Children, Pediatrics in Review 2018 - Written by our own Dr. Shields and Dr. Lightdale!!

Additional Resources:

• The CHOP Clinical Pathways has a variety of pathways to peruse, such as:
  • Abdominal Pain in Post Pubertal Girls
  • Evaluation of Suspected Appendicitis
  • Suspected Nephrolithiasis
  • ER Eval and Treatment of Constipation // and the Inpatient pathway, too
  • Gastroenteritis ER // and Inpatient, too
  • Pancreatitis
• Check out the PHM from Pittsburgh Podcast episode on Acute Gastroenteritis

Self-Assessment: