Surgical emergencies

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These are situations which require immediate management by a surgeon.

 

Always a surgical emergency

When these situations are significantly probable, urgent surgical review is indicated.
Immediate surgical intervention may prevent disability or death.

1. Acute angle-closure glaucoma
2. Acute pancreatitis
3. Anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy
4. Ruptured aortic aneurysm
5. Aortic dissection
6. Aortic transection
7. Appendicitis
8. Avascular necrosis
9. Cardiac tamponade
10. Cardiac trauma
11. Cauda equina syndrome
12. Central retinal artery occlusion
13. Clostridial myonecrosis
14. Compartment syndrome
15. Critical limb ischaemia 
16. Eclampsia
17. Ruptured ectopic pregnancy
18. Endophthalmitis
19. Fournier gangrene
20. Intestinal obstruction
21. Intracranial aneurysm
22. Ischaemic colitis
23. Ludwig’s angina
24. Major trauma
25. Mesenteric ischaemia
26. Microbial keratitis  
27. Necrotising fasciitis
28. Ocular burn 
29. Open-globe injury
30. Orbital cellulitis
31. Ovarian torsion
32. Paraphimosis
33. Penile fracture
34. Pericardial effusion
35. Peritonsillar abscess
36. Priapism
37. Pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis
38. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment 
39. Skin avulsion injuries
40. Strangulated hernia
41. Subarachnoid haemorrhage 
42. Testicular torsion
43. Traumatic amputation
44. Ventricular septal rupture

 

Always an emergency, could be medical or surgical

These are emergencies which may be resolved by urgent surgical, medical or anaesthetic intervention. There may be resolution without any surgical involvement.

• Amoebic liver abscess
• Brain herniation
• Giant-cell arteritis 
• Infective endocarditis
• Necrotising enterocolitis 
• Septic arthritis

 

Potentially an emergency

These situations are variable: they range from mild to severe.
There are specific indications for urgent surgical involvement (e.g. magnitude of fluid loss, age of patient, signs of neurovascular dysfunction).

• Acute mastoiditis 
• Burns
• Epistaxis 
• Extravasation injury
• Flail chest 
• Haemorrhage
• Ruptured ovarian cyst 
• Polytrauma
• Supracondylar fracture of humerus
• Traumatic brain injury
• Acute urinary retention
• Urolithiasis