Revue médicale suisse
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Revue médicale suisse · Aug 2010
[When should a patient with low back pain/sciatica be referred to the emergency ward?].
Low back pain and sciatica are common causes of medical consultation. The medical history and the physical examination are essential in their management. ⋯ These include hyperalgic sciatica, sciatica with motor deficits and the cauda equina syndrome. Sciatica with sensory deficits do not require emergency department referral.
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Revue médicale suisse · Aug 2010
[When should a patient with abdominal pain be referred to the emergency ward?].
When should a patient with abdominal pain be referred to the emergency ward? The following goals must be achieved upon managing patients with acute abdominal pain: 1) identify vital emergency situations; 2) detect surgical conditions that require emergency referral without further diagnostic procedures; 3) in "non surgical acute abdomen patients" perform appropriate diagnostic procedures, or in selected cases delay tests and reevaluate the patient after an observation period, after which a referral decision is made. Clues from the history and physical examination are critical to perform this evaluation. A good knowledge of the most frequent acute abdominal conditions, and identifying potential severity criteria allow an appropriate management and decision about emergency referral.