Gastroenteritis or appendicitis? Constipation, bowel obstruction, or Hirschsprung's? Inguinal hernia or testicular torsion? With so many different causes of pain, how do providers decide if the child in the clinic needs the emergency room or a surgical evaluation?

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Identify common pediatric surgical emergencies that may present to a primary care provider
• Describe the presentation of common emergent surgical conditions
• Discuss the rationale for escalating care to the emergency room or surgical evaluation