Table 2.
Signs, symptoms, and laboratory test results
| Period 1 | Period 2 | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 269 | 286 | |
| Vital signs (mean ± SD) | |||
| Pulse | 81 ± 15 | 82 ± 16 | NS |
| Fever | 36.7 ± 0.3 | 36.7 ± 0.4 | NS |
| VAS pain score | 4.2 ± 3.2 | 3.7 ± 3.1 | 0.062 |
| Blood pressure | |||
| Systole, mean ± SD | 138 ± 26 | 138 ± 24 | NS |
| Diastole, mean ± SD | 72 ± 15 | 73 ± 12 | NS |
| Abdominal examination performed in ED | 265 (98.5%) | 286 (100.0%) | NS |
| Abdominal tenderness | 17 (6.4%) | 19 (6.6%) | NS |
| Abdominal distention | 16 (6.0%) | 13 (4.5%) | NS |
| Suspected incarcerated hernia | 1 (0.4%) | 0 | NS |
| Abdominal fullness | 12 (4.5%) | 5 (1.7%) | 0.095 |
| Normal abdominal examination | 223 (84.1%) | 249 (87.1%) | NS |
| Digital rectal examination performed in ED | 241 (89.6%) | 284 (99.3%) | <0.0001 |
| Refused rectal examination | 6 (2.2%) | 4 (1.4%) | NS |
| Fecal stone | 22 (9.1%) | 15 (5.3%) | NS |
| External hemorrhoids | 3 (1.2%) | 5 (1.8%) | NS |
| Rectal SOL | 4 (1.6%) | 1 (0.3%) | NS |
| Benign prostate hypertrophy | 2 (0.8%) | 3 (1.0%) | NS |
| Normal PR examination | 232 (96.3%) | 258 (90.8%) | NS |
| Blood tests (mean ± SD) | |||
| Hemoglobin | 12.1 ± 1.4 | 12.2 ± 1.6 | NS |
| WBC | 8596 ± 3543 | 8064 ± 2535 | |
| Creatinine | 0.9 ± 0.5 | 0.9 ± 0.3 | |
| Abdominal X-ray performed in ED | 260 (96.6%) | 285 (99.56%) | 0.045 |
| Paralytic ileus | 3 (1.1%) | 1 (0.3%) | NS |
| Expansion of bowel loops | 7 (2.7%) | 5 (1.7%) | NS |
Abbreviations: ED, Emergency Department; NS, not significant; PR, per rectum; SOL, space occupying lesion; VAS, visual analog scale; WBC, white blood cells; SD, standard deviation.