RECOMMENDATIONS TO PAEDIATRICIANS BY THE SURGEON

Key words: Appendicitis, Intestinal occlusion, Testicular torsion, Paediatric surgery

The Author provides essential clues for the first approach to common surgical emergencies by practising paediatricians. For acute appendicitis, they are: pain, first periumbilical and colicky then right-sided and continuous; fever, usually moderate; vomiting and no stools passed; usefulness of Blumberg test and heel test and ultrasound, and uselessness of lab examinations. For intestinal occlusion, the paediatricians should remember the age-dependent character of the causes, the main clinical signs being vomiting and a distended abdomen. For testicular torsion, the need for immediate referral without any delay.