Which symptoms if present can be associated with a paralytic ileus?

Paralytic ileus can produce a variety of symptoms, such as a distended abdomen, fullness, gas, abdominal spasms, constipation, diarrhea, nausea with or without vomiting, and foul-smelling breath.

How does peritonitis cause paralytic ileus?

Peritonitis (infection) causes ileus. Ileus is also sometimes associated with retroperitoneal trauma and hemorrhage, spine or rib fractures, severe trauma outside the abdomen, and the application of a plaster jacket. This occurs through a reflex sympathetic overstimulation.

What causes an ileus of the bowel?

Ileus means that the intestines are not moving correctly and cannot push food through the digestive system. Surgery is a common cause of ileus, but medications, cystic fibrosis, other health issues, injuries, and infections can also cause the condition.

What is it called when a patient tenses his abdominal muscles?

Overview. Abdominal rigidity is stiffness of your stomach muscles that worsens when you touch, or someone else touches, your abdomen. This is an involuntary response to prevent pain caused by pressure on your abdomen. Another term for this protective mechanism is guarding.

Can you hear bowel sounds with an ileus?

Ileus is a condition in which there is a lack of intestinal activity. Many medical conditions may lead to ileus. This problem can cause gas, fluids, and the contents of the intestines to build up and break open (rupture) the bowel wall. The provider may be unable to hear any bowel sounds when listening to the abdomen.

Why does hypokalemia cause paralytic ileus?

Hypokalemia may lead to reduced neural conduction to and within the Enteric Nervous System, altering the normally highly coordinated reflexes and patterns of GI motility, with the result being one mechanism linking potassium levels to paralytic ileus.

Why does hypokalemia cause ileus?

What helps ileus?

Ileus Treatment

• No food or fluids by mouth for 24 to 72 hours.
• IV fluids to help correct any electrolyte imbalance.
• Suction to relieve a buildup of gas and liquid.
• Electrical stimulation to encourage movement in the intestine.
• Upright position, especially in patients who may have spent a lot of time lying down.

What helps stimulate peristalsis?

Stimulant laxatives stimulate peristalsis — a series of muscle contractions that the body uses to move food through the digestive tract….Some examples of these drugs include:

• castor oil.
• senna.
• bisacodyl.

When assessing a patient with abdominal pain you should start palpating the abdomen?

One should start deep palpation in the quadrant directly opposite any area of pain and carefully examine each quadrant. At each costal margin it is helpful to have the patient inspire deeply to aid in palpation of the liver, gallbladder, and spleen.

What does abdominal guarding indicate?

Abdominal guarding is also known as ‘défense musculaire’. Guarding is a characteristic finding in the physical examination for an abruptly painful abdomen (an acute abdomen) with inflammation of the inner abdominal (peritoneal) surface due, for example, to appendicitis or diverticulitis.

Can you hear bowel sounds in distended abdomen?

The intestines are hollow, so bowel sounds echo through the abdomen much like the sounds heard from water pipes. Most bowel sounds are normal. They simply mean that the gastrointestinal tract is working. A health care provider can check abdominal sounds by listening to the abdomen with a stethoscope (auscultation).