Emergency Abdominal Surgery is a battleground for the surgeon - providing character-building experiences, and opportunities for triumph and disaster. In the third edition of this 'simple' book, emergency abdominal surgery is discussed in an informal and no nonsense fashion - as practiced in the 'trenches' of the ER and the OR. The preferred approach for a given situation is discussed in context; it has to fulfill certain prerequisites: save lives, decrease morbidity, be cost effective and be performed correctly.

BEFORE THE OPERATION.- General Philosophy.- A Brief History of Emergency Abdominal Surgery.- The Acute Abdomen.- Rational Diagnostic Procedures.- Abdominal Imaging.- Optimizing the Patient.- Preoperative Antibiotics.- Family, Ethics, Informed Consent and Medicolegal Issues.- Before the Flight: Pre-Op Checklist.- THE OPERATION.- The Incision.- Abdominal Exploration: Finding What Is Wrong.- Peritonitis: Contamination and InfectionPrinciples of Treatment.- The Intestinal Anastomosis.- Intestinal Stomas.- Esophageal Emergencies.- Diaphragmatic Emergencies.- Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage (and Portal Hypertension).- Perforated Peptic Ulcer.- Acute Pancreatitis.- Gallbladder and Biliary Emergencies.- Small Bowel Obstruction.- Acute Abdominal Wall Hernias.- Acute Mesenteric Ischemia.- Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Other Types of Colitis.- Colonic Obstruction.- Acute Diverticulitis.- Massive Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding.- Acute Appendicitis.- Anorectal Emergencies.- Surgical Complications of Endoscopy.- Complications of Bariatric Surgery.- Complications of Peritoneal Dialysis.- Gynecological Emergencies.- Urological Emergencies.- Abdominal Emergencies in Infancy and Childhood.- The AIDS Patient.- Abdominal Emergencies in the Third World.- Penetrating Abdominal Trauma.- Blunt Trauma and Rx of Specific Injuries.- The Abdominal Compartment Syndrome.- Abdominal Aortic Emergencies.- Abdominal Drainage.- Abdominal Closure.- Before Landing.- AFTER THE OPERATION.- Postoperative Care.- Nutrition.- Postoperative Antibiotics.- Postoperative Ileus Versus Intestinal Obstruction.- Intra-Abdominal Abscesses.- Anastomotic Leaks and Fistulas.- Leaks Following Colonic or Rectal Anastomoses.- Re-laparotomies and Laparostomy for Infection.- Abdominal Wall Dehiscence.- LIRS, SIRS,Sepsis, MODS, and Tertiary Peritonitis.- Wound Management.- Postoperative Bleeding.- The Role of Laparoscopy.- Complications of Laparoscopic Surgery.- In the Aftermath and the M& M Meeting.