Bowel Elimination Flashcards
Small intestine’s function:
Both absorption and digestion
Colon’s three functions:
absorption, secretion, elimination
When can children control defecation?
2-3 years
Recommended fluid intake
3.7 L for men and 2.7 L for women
Stress causes…
diarrhea.
Depression causes…
constipation.
Normal position for defecation…
squatting.
Regional vs. inhaled anesthetics
Regional does not affect bowel activity…inhaled does.
Ileus
Lasts about 24 to 48 hours…stops bowel peristalis.
Endoscopies, colonoscopies, visualization of the GI tract.
NPO for several hours before
Constipation
Symptom, NOT disease.
Fecal impaction
Can’t poop because feces are stuck in the rectum. Person feels like they need to but can’t.
Patients at risk for fecal impaction
Debilitated, confused, unconscious
Common cause for diarrhea.
C. difficile. Contact/enteric isolation precautions.
Transverse colostomy stool output
thick liquid to soft consistency
Loop ostomies
REVERSIBLE. Proximal end drains poop, and distal end drains mucus.
End ostomies
permanent or reversible
Hemmorhoids
ice pack or warm sitz bath helps
For fecal occult tests…
3 cm mass of formed stool or 15 to 30 mL of liquid stool need to be collected. Measures blood in the feces. Three times on three different bowel movements.
Fecal fat…
three to five day collection
For a guaiac fecal occult blood test…
no red meat, vitamin C supplements, and citrus fruits and juices for 3 days. Also no NSAIDS for 7 days.
Patient with a bedpan…
Elevate head of bed 30 to 45 degrees.
Cathartics…
stronger and quicker than laxatives.
Only give normal saline…
for infants and children with enemas.
