Vomiting Flashcards
Is vomiting a reflex?
Yes
What is vomiting?
Forceful expulsion of stomach contents through the mouth
Very common presentation of illness
What are the three phases of vomiting?
Nausea
Retching
Expulsion
What is the nausea phase also known as?
Prodromal phase
What are the clinical signs of the prodromal/nausea phase?
Ptyalism, hiding/attention seeking, yawning, shivering, tachycardia, pallor
What is the retching phase characterized by?
Contraction of the abdominal muscles, chest wall, and diaphragm without any expulsion of gastric content
What is retrograde contraction?
Duodenal contents pushed back into the stomach
What is inhibited during the retching phase of vomiting?
Respiratory center- lessen chances of aspiration
Does the stomach actually contract during forceful expulsion?
No- the sphincters are relaxed and abdominal muscles and diaphragm contract
What is the pathway from stimulation to vomiting?
Stimuli
Afferent pathways, higher brain, vestibular apparatus, CRTZ
Emetic center
Effenent motor signals–> Vomiting
What are some things that will lead to vomiting?
- Activation of chemo or machanoreceptors
- Stimulation of visceral afferent receptors
- Direct stimulation of the cerebral cortex and limbic system
- Vestibular stimulation
- CRTZ stimulation
What are the things that stimulate the cerebral cortex and limbic systems which case vomiting?
Fear, stress, or trauma
What are some Ddxs for vomiting?
- Metabolic disease
- Toxins
- Dietary indescretion or foreign body
- Drug induced
- Primary GI disease
- Environmental, motion sickness
- Organ failure
- Pancreatitis
- Urinary or repro disease
- Neoplasia
- Pain
What are some emetogens?
- Medications
- Infections
- Metabolic disease
- Uremia
- Radiation
What is the mechanism for vomiting due to motion sickness?
aka Kinetosis
Inner ear/labyrinth stimulation–> dopamine and serotinin released from CRTZ–> Ach released from emetic center
What is the mechanism for vomiting due to drugs such as chemo-agents?
5-HT3 serotonergic receptors and CRTZ
What is the mechanism for vomiting due to intestinal inflammation?
Direct afferent input to vomiting center
What is the mechanism for vomiting due to opioids?
Stimulation of CRTZ, increased vestibular sensitivity, gastric stasis, or impaired intestinal motility and constipation
What is the mechanism for vomiting due to toxins?
CRTZ permeable and initiates neurotransmitter cascade
What is the mechanism for vomiting due to uremia?
- Decreased gastric clearance–> ulcers and gastritis
- Toxins crossing BBB–> stimulation central and peripheral receptors
- Activation of CRTZ via D2- dopaminergic receptors
What are the clinical signs/presenting concerns for a vomiting patient?
- Vomiting…..
- Lethary and inappetence
- May have diarrhea and weight loss
- Systemic signs of illness
- Respiration changes if aspiration
What are some questions you should ask concerning the vomiting?
- Quantity and quality
- Duration
- Relationship to food and diet change
- Current feeding and environment
- Medical history
What are some common physical exam findings for a vomiting patient?
Dehydration, abdominal pain and distention, palpable foreign material?, Thickened intestines, constipation, ptyalism, altered mental and respiratory status, Diarrhea, weight loss, systemic illness
MAY BE TOTALLY NORMAL
What are some diagnostics that are useful in the vomiting patient?
Labwork, rads/US, coritsol, GI panel, fecal, coag profile, endoscopy
What is the time frame used to describe acute versus chronic vomiting?
Acute = 1 week