ACUTE ABDOMEN

Before the advent of subspecialties in the 80's, our main concern in evaluating patients was whether the patient needs surgery or not. We do not worry whether it is general surgeon's case, a gynecolgist's, a urologist,, a neurosurgeon's problem or biliary surgeon's expertise.  As a surgeon, we determine whether it is an acute abdomen or not; whether we need to do surgery or not. Today, we are given the task and a narrow path to thread whether it is ours or not. As often the case, we general surgeons open the abdomen and peep inside. And if it is in our field of expertise, we finish the job to be done. If it is not ours, the patient is referred to another specialty and the let the patient wait for several hours under anesthesia. We know how to do it. But we do not like to be confronted in the conference room for doing a job not under our field of responsibility.