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 Infection—Principles 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.

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.