Bowel Obstruction Treatment

Somebody Called for a Surgeon?

Surgery is usually used as a last resort to treat bowel obstruction except in emergent cases such as bursting of the bowel, interruption of blood supply to the bowel, massive bowel distention or pain.

For all other bowel obstructions, treatment is to stop all eating and drinking while decompressing the stomach with a tube threaded down the nose, through the swallow pipe, and into the gut. To maintain hydration and prevent you withering away, intravenous fluids are given through a vein in your arm.

This is done for several days under close observation for a return of bowel gurgling sounds, passing flatus or bowel movements. When these healthy bowel 'vitals' return the decompression tube in the nose can be taken out and diet gradually reintroduced beginning with fluids, graduating to soft meals, and finally full course meals.

Surgery entails opening the tummy and looking for dead or burst areas of bowel and removing any of these nonfunctional areas and any constricting bands, cancer, or other causes of obstruction.

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