Bilious emesis in the pediatric emergency department: etiology and outcome

Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2002 Sep;41(7):475-9. doi: 10.1177/000992280204100704.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe the emergency department (ED) diagnoses in an unselected pediatric population with bilious emesis. In a multicenter, prospective, observational case series, a convenience sample of patients less than 21 years old with yellow or green emesis were assembled. Clinical review of each case was performed 2 weeks or longer after ED disposition. Two hundred twenty-seven patients with 230 ED encounters were enrolled. Of the 189 encounters (82.2%) with follow-up, 20 had surgical disease (10.6%; 95% C.I. 6.6%, 15.9%). There was no significant association between the color of the emesis and surgical disease (OR = 2.3; 95% CI, 0.68, 8.6).

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Abdomen / surgery
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Appendicitis / complications
  • Appendicitis / diagnosis
  • Appendicitis / surgery
  • Bile*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diarrhea / complications
  • Diarrhea / diagnosis
  • Emergency Service, Hospital*
  • Female
  • Fever / complications
  • Fever / diagnosis
  • Gastritis / complications
  • Gastritis / diagnosis
  • Gastroenteritis / complications
  • Gastroenteritis / diagnosis
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Intestinal Obstruction / complications
  • Intestinal Obstruction / diagnosis
  • Intestinal Obstruction / surgery
  • Male
  • Pancreatitis / complications
  • Pancreatitis / diagnosis
  • Pancreatitis / surgery
  • Prospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Vomiting / etiology*
  • Vomiting / pathology*