Small Bowel Obstruction
Patients often endorse vague abdominal complaints, typically comprising intermittent pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and have a history of prior abdominal surgery. Unfortunately these are non-specific and variably present - Lauren Westafer DO
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The truth about Small Bowel Obstruction
Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a very common problem for patients; treated by many different types of medical providers, including primary care, emergency medicine, internal medicine, and surgery. In the United States alone, there are an estimated 300,000 laparotomies performed annually for SBO, and about one third of these obstructions are complicated by intestinal ischemia, with significantly higher morbidity and mortality resulting.
So every patient who shows up with a bowel obstruction should have surgery, to prevent ischemic complications, right? Actually, more than half of patients who present with SBO resolve with nonoperative therapy. Because the most common…
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Be Gone Small Bowel Obstruction…BE GONE!
Within ten minutes of being jolted awake by severe abdominal cramping, my gastrointestinal system began running itself in reverse in an attempt to alleviate the pressure building up. I lost the last meal I would eat for the next 5 days.
Review of Small-Bowel Obstruction: The Diagnosis and When to Worry
In the Western world, the major cause of SBO is adhesions. The next two most frequent causes are hernias and malignancies. These three etiologies account for more than 80% of all causes of SBO. Other etiologies include Crohn disease, intussusception, volvulus, gallstones, foreign bodies, bezoars, trauma, and iatrogenic problems.,
Small Bowel Obstruction
A history of surgeries, hernia, or cancer is important to know about. A doctor’s examination accompanied by blood tests and an x-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan can confirm the diagnosis. Most obstructions resolve by allowing the small bowel to rest and shrink back to its normal size, thus making the adhesions less problematic. This is accomplished by inserting a nasogastric (NG) tube (a thin plastic tube that goes through a nostril and into the stomach) that suctions fluid from the stomach.
Small-Bowel Obstruction, Evaluation and Management of
Over the centuries, the management of SBO has evolved. Early treatments included bloodletting and ingestion of heavy metals. Advancements brought intestinal tube decompression and operative interventions.
