TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 89. The Acute Abdomen and Intra-Abdominal Sepsis A1 - Bohnen, J.M.A. A1 - Mustard, R.A. A1 - Schouten, B.D. A2 - Hall, Jesse B. A2 - Schmidt, Gregory A. A2 - Wood, Lawrence D.H. PY - 2005 T2 - Principles of Critical Care, 3e AB - Patterns of presentation of the acute abdomen in the intensive care unit (ICU) may be unusual.Conjoint evaluation by intensivist, surgeon, and gastroenterologist is frequently needed.Prompt diagnosis is the key to successful management.Computed tomography (CT) or ultrasonography should be used liberally in the evaluation of intra-abdominal sepsis.Complications occur frequently in the postsurgical ICU patient; “stable vital signs" does not imply clinical stability.Postoperative residual or recurrent intra-abdominal sepsis may not be clinically obvious and may not be demonstrated by a CT scan; cardiorespiratory instability should prompt a high level of suspicion.The treatment of the febrile postsurgical patient is not simply the administration of further antibiotics.Acalculous cholecystitis is a treacherous disease which requires urgent treatment; definitive diagnosis is not always possible or necessary before treatment. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2023/09/22 UR - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=2297141 ER -