A fatal obstacle! Don’t delay if the elderly or children have these symptoms!

Audit expert: Qu Bo

Chief Physician of General Surgery, Yangtze River Shipping General Hospital

Recently, a woman in Kunming, Yunnan, sought medical treatment for abdominal pain. As she had other medical conditions before, she was transferred to several clinics in the hospital and was eventually diagnosed with acute appendicitis. After receiving an infusion, her symptoms were alleviated and she left, but unfortunately she died on the same day she returned home. A forensic examination showed that the cause of death was intestinal obstruction caused by an intra-abdominal hernia.

Source: Weibo screenshot

So, what is intestinal obstruction? What are the symptoms? And how can we prevent it?

What is intestinal obstruction?

In layman's terms, intestinal obstruction refers to the inability of the contents of the intestine to pass through the intestine smoothly due to various reasons , that is, the intestine is "blocked". Intestinal obstruction can cause serious clinical consequences such as intestinal gangrene, intestinal perforation, and septic shock.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

There are many types of intestinal obstruction, including acute intestinal obstruction, strangulated intestinal obstruction, etc., among which strangulated intestinal obstruction is the most serious. Strangulated intestinal obstruction can cause serious complications such as intestinal gangrene, perforation, sepsis, ARDS, etc., and in severe cases can lead to death of the patient. In the event of strangulated intestinal obstruction, laparotomy should be performed immediately, and intestinal resection can be performed if necessary to prevent serious complications.

The woman mentioned above suffered from intestinal obstruction caused by an intra-abdominal hernia. Intestinal obstruction caused by an intra-abdominal hernia is a relatively rare disease, but it has a high mortality rate. Hernia-induced intestinal obstruction has an acute onset and rapid progression, and the patient is older and often has underlying diseases. If it is not diagnosed and treated promptly and effectively, it is easy to develop intestinal strangulation necrosis, intestinal perforation, and even septic shock leading to death. Therefore, when ordinary people have unexplained abdominal pain, they must go to the hospital for examination to find out the real cause.

Symptoms of intestinal obstruction

As an ordinary person, how can we judge whether we have intestinal obstruction? First of all, we should understand some symptoms of intestinal obstruction. If we meet one or more symptoms, we should pay more attention.

1. Stomach pain. When intestinal obstruction occurs, most patients will experience a spasmodic colic in the abdomen. This pain is paroxysmal and will improve after the spasm.

2. Intestinal obstruction: For a long time, the intestines do not excrete gas and feces.

3. Abdominal distension. Since the gas and excrement in the intestines cannot be excreted, they gather together and easily cause abdominal distension.

4. Nausea and vomiting. Because the intestines are blocked, the contents cannot flow downwards but can only flow upwards, which can cause nausea and vomiting.

Source: unsplash

As they age, the teeth of the elderly become sparse and loose, making it difficult for them to chew their meals, which puts a great burden on their stomachs. At the same time, their digestive organs are also degenerating and cannot digest all the food. Therefore, too much food residue will form a clump or a mass in the intestines, thereby blocking the intestinal cavity and eventually leading to intestinal obstruction.

Older people should pay more attention to avoid intestinal obstruction because they may suffer from some underlying diseases. Even if they are diagnosed with intestinal obstruction, they may not be able to undergo surgery due to the high risk, which increases their pain and burden.

In addition to the elderly, children and young people are also prone to intestinal obstruction. Acute intestinal obstruction is a common acute abdomen in children, mostly caused by intussusception. Common symptoms include abdominal pain, abdominal distension, pale complexion and vomiting. However, due to the different types and locations of intestinal obstruction, the clinical symptoms of children are also different.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Acute intestinal obstruction develops rapidly and can cause blood circulation disorders in the affected area within a short period of time, easily inducing complications such as intestinal wall infection and intestinal wall necrosis, and damaging the intestinal function of the child.

Intestinal obstruction is very harmful to the human body. Some of them develop quickly and acutely, and it is difficult for people to respond quickly. Therefore, daily prevention of intestinal obstruction is very necessary.

How to prevent intestinal obstruction?

In daily life, we can prevent intestinal obstruction from aspects such as diet and exercise. Here are some specific suggestions:

1. Reduce the intake of foods that are difficult to digest. These foods include animal offal, fatty meat, glutinous rice balls, rice balls, etc. Reduce the amount of food you eat to reduce the burden on your stomach.

2. Food should be cooked delicately, and the cooking process and time should be increased appropriately to make it easy to digest, and the taste of food should be as light as possible.

3. Eat more vegetables and other foods high in fiber, so that dietary fiber can help the intestines move, make bowel movements smooth, and reduce the probability of disease.

Source: pexels

4. Do not do strenuous activities after eating to avoid intestinal twisting and reduce the risk of acute intestinal obstruction.

5. When the stomach and intestines are indigestible, follow the doctor's advice and choose appropriate drugs to help the intestines increase peristalsis so that defecation and bowel movement can be relieved. If indigestion occurs repeatedly, seek medical attention in time to detect any abnormalities in the intestines early.

In addition to paying attention to regular and healthy eating in daily life, you should also pay attention to eating foods that help digestion. And you can do some gentle exercise after meals to prevent intestinal obstruction. Always pay attention to the health of the elderly or children around you who have poor digestive function. If you feel unwell, you should seek medical attention in time to prevent serious conditions.