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Palliative cancer care - nausea & vomiting - Management
What should I look for on examination?
- Perform an appropriate examination for the stage of the person's illness to determine, if possible, the cause of the nausea or vomiting:
- Perform a general examination (e.g. for signs of dehydration, infection, confusion, drowsiness, weakness).
- Assess the condition of the oral cavity.
- Examine the abdomen for tenderness, swelling, or distension; signs of intestinal obstruction; or constipation.
- Perform a rectal examination if faecal impaction is suspected.
- Check the fundi for papilloedema if increased intracranial pressure is a possibility (absence of papilloedema does not exclude intracranial pathology).
- Determine whether anxiety could be contributing to the person's symptoms.
In depth
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