The patient with gastrointestinal disease

The gastrointestinal system is responsible for digestion of food, absorption of nutrients and excretion of waste. It consists of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gall bladder and pancreas. Many patients managed by surgical teams will suffer from some form of gastrointestinal disease.To aid with the management of these patients we will look at a logical, systemic approach to the assessment of gastrointestinal disease and common signs and symptoms found. We will discuss the investigation of gastrointestinal disease and the common abnormalities found.This article will then discuss in further detail the perioperative management of some common gastrointestinal problems, namely fluid therapy, nutrition, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatic dysfunction, bowel obstruction, inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatitis.