A 17-year-old girl presents to the emergency depament with a stab wound to the abdomen in the anterior axillary line at the right costal margin. BP is 80/50 mm Hg, PR is 120 bpm, and RR is 28 breaths per minute. Two large-bore IV lines, a nasogastric tube, and a Foleys catheter are inseed. BP rises to 90/60 mm Hg after 2 L of Ringer's lactate. The appropriate management is which of the following?
High-Yield Explanation
A patient without other sources of blood loss who presents to the emergency depament with a stab wound to the abdomen and in shock should have an expeditious exploratory laparotomy. The other tests will waste precious time and are contraindicated in a patient in shock.