This paper reports the findings in a study involving 1537 patients with 'acute abdominal pain' presenting over a 13-month period to the Accident and Emergency Department of the General Infirmary at Leeds. Of these, 341 patients who proved to have pain of greater duration than a week, pain incidental to some other identifiable condition or no pain at the time of their attendance were excluded. The remaining 1196 were diagnosed clinically (using a structured case sheet) and subsequently by a Bayesian computer system. Feedback of the results of clinical and computer systems was given to clinicians at regular intervals. Clinical diagnostic accuracy in patients with surgical disorders rose from 40 per cent before the study to 61 per cent. Computer accuracy in these patients was 69-9 per cent. The proportion of patients sent home without ill effects rose from 20 per cent to 39 per cent. In other areas (e.g. gynaecology) the effects were less marked. It is suggested that the introduction of a simple postgraduate educational service, aided by a small computer, might prove of practical benefit in this clinical situation.

Health professionals deem delirium screening to be important in SPCUs, but may not support routine use of the short CAM. This could reflect a limited perceived impact on care and lack of confidence in this tool to reflect a complex patient group.

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This paper describes a patient with an inoperable gastrointestinal stromal tumour with moderate volume malignant ascites. A large-volume paracentesis caused haemodynamic instability and a myocardial infarction. An indwelling right-sided peritoneal catheter was inserted following further ascites build-up. The patient experienced spontaneous acute rupture of tumour and subsequent loculated ascites. An additional second catheter was inserted to the left side of the abdomen following reaccumulation of ascites following liquefaction of cyst contents and successful one-off drainage on the left side of abdomen. This is the first case report of a patient with two indwelling catheters: we describe learning points pertaining to those as well as the rupture of gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Haemodynamic instability after paracentesis in malignant-related ascites has also not been described