Assessing the Abdomen Flashcards
(14 cards)
Give the 4 Abdominal quadrants
Right Left
upper upper
Quadrant quadrant
Right lower left lower quadrant
Quadru
Right upper quadrant(RUQ)
- Ascending and transverse colon
- Duodenum
- Gallbladder
- Hepatic flexure of colon
- Liver Pancreas (head)
- Pylorus (the small bowel-or ileum-traverses all quadrants)
- Right adrenal gland
- Right kidney (upper pole)
- Right ureter
Right lower Quadrant(RLQ)
- Appendix
- Ascending colon
- Cecum
- Right kidney (Ipwer pole)
- Right ovary and tube
- Right ureter
- Right spermatic cord
Left Upper Quadrant
- Left adrenal gland
- Left kidney (upper pole)
- Left ureter
- Pancreas (body and tail)
- Spleen
- Splenic flexure of colon
- Stomach
- Transverse descending colon
Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)
- Left kidney (lower pole)
- Left ovary and tube
- Left ureter
- Left spermatic cord
- Descending and sigmoid colon
Midline
- Bladder
- Uterus
- Prostate Gland
Give the 9 Abdominal Regions
Right. Epigastric. Left
Hypochondriac Region. Hypochondriac
Region. Region
Right Lumbar. Umbilical. Left Lumbar
Region. Region Region
Right iliac Hypogastric. Left iliac
Region. Region, Region
3 types of Abdominal Pain
- Visceral
- Parietal
- Referred
occurs when hollow abdominal organs-such as the intestines- become distended or contract forcefully, or when the capsules of solid organs such as the liver and spleen are stretched.
Poorly defined or localized and intermittently timed, this type of pain is often characterized as dull, aching, burning, cramping, or colicky
Visceral pain
occurs when the parietal peritoneum becomes inflamed, as in appendicitis or peritonitis.
This type of pain tends to localize more to the source and is characterized as a more severe and steady pain.
Parietal Pain
occurs at distant sites that are innervated at approximately the same levels as the disrupted abdominal organ.
This type of pain travels, or refers, from the primary site and becomes highly localized at the distant site.
Referred pain
- Inspected the abdomen for skin integrity.
- Inspected the abdomen for contour and symmetry.
If distension was present, measured the abdominal girth by placing a tape around the abdomen at the level of the umbilicus. - Observed abdominal movements associated with respiration, peristalsis, or aortic pulsations.
- Observed the vascular pattern
- Auscultated the abdomen for bowel sounds, vascular sounds, and peritoneal friction rubs.
- Percussed several areas in each of the four quadrants to determine presence of tympany and dullness.
- Performed light palpation to detect areas of tenderness and/or muscle guarding. Systematically explored all four quadrants.
- Palpated the area above the pubic symphysis if the client’s history indicated possible urinary retention
Inspection, palpation, and etc - Notes
- this is? ________
Unblemished skin
Uniform color
Silver-white striae (stretch marks) or surgical scars* - this is? _______
Presence of rash or other lesions
Tense, glistening skin (may indicate ascites, edema)
Purple striae (associated with Cushing’s disease or rapid weight gain and loss)
- NORMAL FINDINGS
- DEVIATIONS FROM NORMAL
- Audible bowel sounds
- Hypoactive, i.e., extremely soft and infrequent (e.g., one per minute).
Hyperactive/increased, i.e., high- pitched, loud, rushing sounds that occur frequently (e.g., every 3 seconds) also known as borborygmi.
- Normal Findings
- DEVIATIONS FROM NORMAL
