How to Assess Abdominal Pain in the Wilderness

There are many things that can make a person's abdomen hurt, ranging from a bad meal to severe internal injuries. Learn when to take abdominal pain seriously by looking for a few basic indicators.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Ask the injured person the following questions about the pain: How long has it been there? Where does it hurt? Does it come and go? Is it burning, stinging, or stabbing? Pain that is severe, prolonged, burning, stinging or stabbing and isolated to a particular area will require evacuation to a hospital; cramping or generalized pain that comes and goes are usually cause for less concern.

2. Have the person lie down in a warm and comfortable setting, and remove enough clothing to look at the entire abdomen.

3. Look at the person's abdomen and lower back for the following signs: bruises, impaled objects, distension, a rash, wounds. Evacuate if there are any signs of injury to the abdomen or if the abdomen is distended.

4. Place the palms of your hands on the person's abdomen and slowly feel the entire abdomen gently with your fingertips. Tenderness to the touch or a rigid abdomen will require evacuation to a hospital for examination.

5. Divide the abdomen into four squares ("quadrants") by drawing an imaginary cross through the person's belly button.

6. Place your ear against the person's abdomen and listen for at least 2 or 3 minutes in each of these four quadrants. Listen for gurgling sounds - if no sounds are present there may be an injury or illness in the bowel and you must evacuate immediately.

7. Look for any signs of blood being emitted in stools, urine or vomit - and evacuate immediately if any blood is present. Tar color and consistency in stools, red coloring in urine, or "coffee grounds" in vomit are all indicators of the presence of blood.

8. Take the person's temperature. A temperature of 102 degrees F or higher accompanied by abdominal pain requires immediate evacuation.

Tips & Warnings

• What counts as prolonged pain? Start monitoring pain closely that has lasted more than 2 hours, be increasingly concerned after 6 hours, and evacuate if the pain persists for more than 24 hours.
• Make sure your hands are warm when you feel the abdomen - otherwise you might cause the person's stomach to tense, making the pain more difficult to assess.
• Do not give any fluids or food by mouth without first consulting a physician, if any of the above indications are present. The person may require surgery and should not injest anything orally at least 6 hours beforehand.
• It is nearly impossible to properly diagnose abdominal pain in a wilderness setting. A person must be evacuated and seen by a trained medical physician immediately if any of the above signs of abdominal injury or illness are present.
• This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

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