Overview
Overview
A patient with intermittent cramping, progressive abdominal distension, vomiting, and little or no flatus may have more than constipation: intestinal contents are failing to mov...
A patient with intermittent cramping, progressive abdominal distension, vomiting, and little or no flatus may have more than constipation: intestinal contents are failing to move forward. The immediate danger is not only dehydration. As fluid and gas accumulate above the blockage, bowel-wall pressure can reduce perfusion and turn a potentially reversible obstruction into ischemia, perforation, shock, and sepsis. The RN’s first task is to decide whether the bowel is merely obstructed or already threatened.