Abdomen/Bowel- 7 Question Flashcards
What are the assessment steps ?
Inspection
Auscultation
Percussion
Palpation
What is in the right upper ?
Liver, Gallbladder, Duodenum, head of the pancreas, right adrenal gland, upper lobe of right kidney, hepatic flexure of colon, section of the ascending and transverse colon.
What is in the right lower quadrant ?
Lower lobe of right kidney, section of the ascending colon, right fallopian tube (female), right ovary(female), part of uterus (if enlarged), right spemetric cord (male), cecum, appendix, right ureter
What is in the left upper quadrant?
Stomach, Spleen, pancreas, left lower part of liver, upper lobe of left kidney, section of transverse colon, section of descending colon, left adrenal gland, splenic flexure of colon
What is the left lower quadrant ?
Lower lobe of left kidney, section of descending colon, left spermatic cord (male),
part of uterus (if enlarged), sigmoid colon, left ureter, left ovary (female), left fallopian tube (female)
Health History includes?
-Appetite and diet
-Drastic weight gain and loss
-Dysphagia-difficulty swallowing
-Food intolerance
-Abdominal pain,
-N/V
-Past abdominal problems
What can Dyshagia (difficulty swallowing) cause and who is at risk?
-Can cause aspiration which can lead to aspiration pneumonia.
-Stroke patients
What should you take into account?
Age considerations
Who might forget to eat ?
Dementia patients
What question should you ask for hospice patients?
Can they drive to get groceries or prepare meals?
What should not affect general GI Function unless associated with a disease process?
Aging
What things decrease with age ?
-Salivation
-Sense of taste
-Gastric acid secretion
-Esophageal Emptying (GERD)
-Liver size
-Bacteria Flora
What increases with age?
constipation
What does a focused health history also include?
-Food and drug allergies
-alcohol and cigarrette intake
-stool and urine characteristics
-stresses
-possibility of pregnancy
-exposure to infection disease
What are common labs for Abdomen/bowels?
UA, CBC (White Blood cells), LFT (liver function tests)
Should you empty your bladder before palpating ?
Yes
What areas should you palpate last?
Painful areas
What should you inspect the skin for ?
Color, striae, veins, symmetry, contour, distension, masses
What is protuberant ?
Could indicate overweight or pregnancy.
What is ascites ?
accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity; often due to alcohol abuse. Typically
means liver failure. LFTs would be elevated.
What is spider angioma ?
Can also indicate liver disease
What is triple A?
Aorta abdominal aneurysm-death
How many quadrants should you assess for bowel sounds?
4
How long should you listen for bowel sounds?
At least 5 seconds, clockwise direction.
What is Borborygmus ?
rumbling or gurgling noise; patient is hungry
What happens if there are no bowel sounds ?
medical emergency; could indicate paralytic ileus (paralyzed bowel)
How long should you listen to all quadrants before documenting absent bowel sounds?
5 minutes
What does hyperactive bowel sounds indicate ?
Could mean obstruction
What does palpation detect?
Tenderness, distention, or masses
How should you do light palpation ?
Depress about 1cm; assess skin pulsations; clockwise fashion
How do you do deep palpation ?
Depress the skin about 5-8cm, secondary to light.
What is referred pain?
Location of pain is not necessarily where the involved organs: Ex: spleen = left shoulder pain, kidney = groin pain, Heart attack = left shoulder pain.
Which Factors Influence Elimination?
Lifestyle; psychological variables
Food & fluids
Activity and muscle tone
Pathologic conditions
Medications
Diagnostic tests; surgery & anesthesia
Prevention for elimination issues can include?
Positioning, exercise, fiber and nutrition, bowel
program.
Interventions for constipation:
laxatives, stool softeners, enemas, suppositories, digital removal
Interventions for diarrhea:
Imodium, find & resolve cause, replace fluids & electrolytes, help
decrease flatulence
Should you leave patient on bedpan for long periods of time ?
No
