bowel obstruction Flashcards
vomiting in a bowel obstruction suggests what about it’s location
proximal
what does bile in vomit suggest about the location
upper small bowel
what does faeculent vomit suggest?
distal obstruction
what are symptoms of obstruction
vomit, colicky pain, distension, constipation
what is complete bowel obstruction
no faeces or flatus
what are clinical features of obstruction
dehydration, distension, peristalsis, palpable (maybe), resonant percussion
what can cause obstruction
hernias, volvulus (most common in sigmoid), tumour, inflammation, intussusception (telescoping`0
what is pseudo obstruction
symptoms of obstruction but often motility issues
what are investigations of obstruction
supine abdominal xray = gold CT scan
what management can you do for obstruction
IV fluids, NG tube to decompress stomach, resolve underlying problem
