Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea is the unpleasant sensation that often but not always is accompanied by vomiting, the forceful expulsion of gastric contents. In your history and examination, look for red flags that night indicate an urgent intra-abdominal process.

objectives

In this module, Dr. Eldon Shaffer will provide a comprehensive overview of the approach to a patient presenting with nausea and vomiting. First a basic understanding of the neural and humoral pathways to vomiting is provided. Critical questions to ask in history, include onset relative to meals, time of day, content of the vomitus, the presence of abdominal pain. Additionally, you will learn about features to look for on physical exam, including stigmata of other illnesses that can cause nausea and vomiting and what red flags to check for that indicate urgent intra-abdominal process. Lastly, you will gain an understanding of the management of nausea and vomiting depending on the chronicity of symptoms and the comorbid status of the patient.