NURS 203 Lecture Notes - Inguinal Hernia, Bowel Obstruction, Renal Colic
Document Summary
Small bowel obstruction: see classic step ladder appearance of air-fluid levels: air, fluid, air, fluid (step ladder appearance). When you have a hollow viscous that peristalsis, you get a certain characteristically pain, called colic pain. It isn"t like a crampy pain with no painfree intervals; colicky pain is when you have pain, a painfree interval, pain, and then a painfree interval. The intervals are not consistent, sometimes you have a 15 min painfree interval, and other times if may be longer or shorter. This is colicky pain; it means total small bowel obstruction. By the way, the bile duct does not have peristalsis, therefore you do not get colicky pain, and instead you get crampy pain. You have to have peristalsis to get colicky pain, it has to move. And what"s it doing is trying to move against that obstruction and that"s causing the pain.
