What it means
The three findings of Charcot triadshar-KOE TRY-adThree findings together: fever with chills, pain in the upper right abdomen, and jaundice.Full entry plus shock and a change in mental status. It describes severe, pus-forming infection of the bile ducts (acute suppurative cholangitis) that has spread into the blood, a surgical emergency. It is named after B. M. Reynolds, an American surgeon.
For the nurse
Report it at once and prepare for sepsis care: IV fluids, blood cultures, antibiotics, and urgent drainage of the bile duct.
At a glance
| Also written | Reynolds' pentad |
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Related terms
sepsis
A severe whole-body response to an infection that damages the body's own organs.
jaundice
Yellow color of the skin, the whites of the eyes and other tissues from too much bilirubin in the blood.
Charcot triad
Three findings together: fever with chills, pain in the upper right abdomen, and jaundice.