Intestinal Obstruction
The intestines function to digest food that flows along and absorbs the digested nutrients. When the flow of the digestive tract is interrupted, the intestines stop functioning. This is a conditioned called intestinal obstruction.
What causes obstruction? Here’s a textbook answer: causes within the lumen of the intestines, causes in the wall of the intestines and causes from outside the intestines. The most common causes for small intestinal obstruction are cancer at the junction between the small instestines and the large intestines (called the caecum), an obstructed hernia, and something called “adhesions”.
“Adhesions” are sticky intestines, sort of. You can think of adhesions as “scars” in the surface of the intestines and the lining of the abdomen. These scars can be caused by previous operations, previous inflammation or blood collection in the abdomen. When the adhesions are thick and stiff, they can cause narrowing of the intestines but pressing on it or causing a kink (a very acute angled turn). This may end up blocking the intestines.
How do we treat intestinal obstruction caused by adhesions? Sometimes we just have to wait for the intestines to relax, reorientate and eventually flow again. Of course, in the meantime, the patient needs fluids and minerals via a drip and careful obsvervation. If waiting fails, then an operation is necessary to release the adhesions and relieve the obstruction. What are the signs that waiting has failed? When there are signs that the intestinal wall has been stretched to the point of danger. Or because the obstruction has not relieved itself although given the time.
Adhesions at a single point of the small intestines caused a tight blockage of the intestines, which bloated up and stretched the intestinal walls (looks dark red, instead of the normal healthy pink colour). The adhesions were released and intestinal gas has passed beyond the obstructed site.
Blek!! like german sausages!!
Really? They must be very big sausages.
eh cucuk ngan jarum…phooooooosshhhhh tak agak agaknye?..
Mestilah. Sebab tekanan dalam tu tinggi gak.
It definitely will… but then the contents will leak out. And contamination will occur.
Wah, super gross. Looks like oversized maggots(yuck) or chinese sausages(yummy)… aagh that made me hungry.
jonzz, dont get hungry here… this’ll make you hungry… or this. Hehe.
Wowwww ..it looks like going to burst anytime!!! I wonder anyone of you watch the korean show - Jewel in the Palace? Guess, the king died of this.
Bernard, I wonder if this patient has died? Can you take all his gut out from the stomach?
hoiling, err… no i don’t watch jewel of the palace.
and no, the patient is very much alive. his bowels started to function again after relieving the obstruction and he went home 5 days after the operation.
I had an emergency yesterday with a variety of the above. will post it on my blog! Hoiling, I am confident this patient will survive unless very very ill before surgery. Betul tak?
George, please do. it’ll be interesting.
yup hoiling, george can see from the colour of the bowel is not gangrenous (dead) yet. predicts a good outcome :-).
Did you show the patient of his/her gut picture? It is amazing to see own internal organ pic no doubt. But no thanks. I would rather not. Imagine, tummy being cut open. Oucch!
Hi George, will pay a visit to your blog soon. Looking forward for a more gross-ier pics fresh from the OT!
I dun think it’s gross at all. In fact, I think it’s pretty lovely, bright red with smooth n firm texture.
More like a ‘gonggok’ after a hearty meal to me..;p
hoiling, if it’s not too “gross”, i do show it. In fact, i print it for them on their discharge summary.
SK, hi5! Actually, it is a lovely sight to me. Because it’s not gangrenous. See this means that the patient will be OK.
umm that looks very very gross how old are you?
Eh, I wonder. Why doc or nurse don’t seems comfortable when a patient to read their medical file? During my dengue days in the hospital, I tried to read it before the doc come for his round. The nurse “glare” at me.
Lily, I’m above 18, thank you
Hoiling, medical info should be explained to the patients by their doctors. Sometimes patients might come to the wrong conclusions by reading the notes for themselves.
Looks nice to play with. Soft, smooth, slippery… so syok to belek-belek them
CSH, yes. Wanna try it?
I see. Naw, I just want to see my recorded temperature and blood pressure. Can’t wait to get out from the hospital!
Err .. play with the human guts .. that gross! Uhhuhh
hoiling, not play with it lah… fixing it only.
Actually, you could ask the nurse if you wanted to know your “stats”.
when i was young, i used to play n belek belek itu chu lou when my mum asked me to clean it. really yummy…. love to eat it. unfortunately, my mum dont cook it anymore. all brain contain too much of cholestrol.
CSH, how young? I didn’t like brain… or any internal organ.
Hrmm .. the nurse seems too pre-occupied and don’t have time for me. I requested something light and they gave me curry rice! I was having fever, can eat curry rice?
Pig internal organs? I think I tasted everything edible except the brain part. No wonder, I’m not smart!!
hoiling, avoiding spices during fever is a culture-ingrained illness behaviour. Just as avoiding eggs after an operation.
hmmm… wanna know what’s the real “brain food”? it’s fish.
How young? when i was younger.. probably lower primary. now still young oso… hehehehehe….
I used to hear ppl say: “wanna be smart, take fish’s brain”
Oso, got ppl say: “makan pig’s brain, nanti bodoh macam b***”
hey, btw, i did hear before that pigs are actually smart creature, it is just their look that make them look stupid.
???
CSH, stilllll youngggg of course.
Fish brains are somewhat small, don’t you think? Can you actually find it?
My friend just said to me : “can… in the skull lo. just crack them open”
Ganasnye…….