What could my symptoms mean?
Tell us what you're feeling and see what your body might be saying — and what to ask next.
Maldek · Symptoms · rev · fwd
Acute Abdomen
Severe sudden belly pain with peritoneal signs. Call the right doctor and take pictures at the right time. Do not try to find the perfect diagnosis first.
Symptoms · forward + reverse · what + why
Forward: the diagnosis predicts the findings. Reverse: the findings reveal the physiology.
Forward · expected findings + mechanism link
- 1
Rigid abdomen, rebound, guarding
why · Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
- 2
Absent bowel sounds
why · Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
- 3
Fever and septic features in advanced cases
why · Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
- 4
Each of these findings ties back to tachycardia (fast heart), then hypotension (low blood pressure) — they are not a random checklist
why · Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
- 5
At the bedside, your job is to spot the pattern first, then check the broken part
why · Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
- 6
Does this problem match the upstream break you think it is?
why · Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
Deterioration arc · if untreated
- ↓ 1.
Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
This is where the trouble starts.
- ↓ 2.
Vital signs can look good while the body is trying hard to cope. The job is to see the bad crash point coming.
If compensation fails, organ injury is next.
- ↓ 3.
Because the body is trying to keep safe the most important things.
Treatment is aimed at the broken step.
⚠ Red flags · escalate immediately
- •
The body keeps vital signs steady for a while
Stop and escalate — the patient is moving past compensation.
- •
That is the dangerous middle, because it lets the team miss where the patient really is on the curve
Stop and escalate — the patient is moving past compensation.
- •
The crash point to watch for is: mesenteric ischemia (belly blood vessel blockage)
Stop and escalate — the patient is moving past compensation.
- •
Pain out of proportion and rising lactate
Stop and escalate — the patient is moving past compensation.
Reverse · findings → physiology chain
- 1
Rigid abdomen, rebound, guarding
Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
- 2
Absent bowel sounds
Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.
- 3
Fever and septic features in advanced cases
Perforation (a hole), ischemia (low blood flow), hemorrhage (bleeding), obstruction with strangulation (blockage that cuts off blood), or infection inflames the peritoneum.