Schein’s common sense emergency abdominal surgery (4th edition)

Excerpt

“To cut or not to cut” is the ultimate challenge for any surgeon confronted with a patient who suffers from unclear abdominal symptoms. The decision of initiating appropriate and timely care with a surgical blade, weighed against the risk of delayed or negligent care by choosing observation or non-operative treatment reflects the eternal “moment of truth” for any surgeon on call. The current widespread fear of medicolegal litigation led to a modern practice of defensive medicine under which–as collateral damage–a surgeon’s experience and “common sense” approach has been all but extinguished. Who would be opposed to obtaining a CT scan for every unclear abdomen these days? …