surgical emergency surgical emergency surgical emergency is a medical emergency for which immediate surgical intervention is the only way to solve the problem successfully. the following conditions are surgical emergencies: acute trauma cardiothoracic cardiac tamponade acute airway obstruction pneumothorax gastrointestinal acute appendicitis bowel obstruction gastrointestinal perforation intestinal volvulus acute mesenteric ischemia peritonitis stercoral perforation genitourinary testicular torsion urinary retention paraphimosis priapism gynaecological ovarian torsion bleeding ectopic pregnancy retained abortion neurological/ophthalmic acute subdural hematoma retinal detachment vascular ruptured aortic aneurysm aortic dissection internal bleeding limb ischemia