Vomiting
Finding the cause of vomiting from timing, content and context, spotting the surgical, neurological and metabolic emergencies, correcting fluid and electrolyte losses, and matching the antiemetic to the mechanism.
Tier 1Approach to a presentation
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Vomiting is a symptom of almost every system. The questions that matter first are is the patient obstructed, is there a neurological cause, and is there a metabolic emergency (DKA, hypercalcaemia, adrenal crisis, uraemia)?
- Timing, content and associated pain narrow the cause faster than any test.
- Assess and correct volume, potassium and acid-base status. Prolonged vomiting gives a hypochloraemic, hypokalaemic metabolic alkalosis.
Loading the rest of the note…
Finished reading?
Sources
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Gastrointestinal (eTG complete), nausea and vomitingAU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited, 2025 to 2026 staged update (topic version not verified)
- ACG Clinical Guideline: GastroparesisAmerican College of Gastroenterology (Am J Gastroenterol), 2022
- Guidelines on management of cyclic vomiting syndrome in adultsAmerican Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society and Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association (Neurogastroenterol Motil), 2019
- Rome V criteria for disorders of gut-brain interactionRome Foundation (Gastroenterology), 2026
- SOMANZ position statement on the management of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarumAU/NZSociety of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand, 2019
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Personal emails, About story and Australian-style copy