Faecal impaction

Bronchoconstriction Respiratory depression Acute renal failure Faecal impaction Worsening of heart failure... 

Constipation bulk-forming laxatives by increasing faecal mass tend to soften stools and relieve constipation, and have value in a range of symptomatic problems associated with anal fissure, haemorrhoids, and with ileostomy and colostomy dysfunction. Faecal softeners, lactulose and macrogols (polyethylene glycol) retain fluid in the bowel. Stimulant laxatives, such as the anthraquinone, senna, and bisacodyl, increase motility and can cause colic verdoses can cause diarrhea and electrolyte depletion. Chronic treatment for constipation is seldom needed, but may be in children with a tendency to faecal impaction, specialist advice should be sought. 

Loperamide and codeine are preferred to diphenoxylate in chronic diarrhoea, because they have less tendency to produce drug dependence. Long-term use of these drugs may aggravate irritable bowel syndrome. These drugs are used cautiously in attacks of colitis because there is increased risk of toxic megacolon. Also all these drugs should be used with caution in elderly because faecal impaction... 

Iron preparations tend to cause gastrointestinal irritation resulting in nausea, epigastric pain and altered bowel habit (constipation or diarrhoea). In older patients there is a risk that constipation may lead to faecal impaction. Side-effects tend to be dose related. 

Paralytic ileus with faecal impaction (fatal in 6 cases) has been reported in a number of patients taking ... 

Plain radiographs will show a proximal small bowel obstruction with faecal impaction in the terminal ileum and caecum (Fig. 5.27). The term meconium ileus equivalent should be discarded. 

First evidences of the impact of heavy rainfall on the epidemiology of enteric pathogens were obtained from studies on the presence of various faecal organisms, both pathogens and indicators in water. Increased numbers of pathogens and indicators in different water bodies, including drinking water, had been reported after heavy rains. 

In case of an obstructing tumour, faecal tagging is not hampered. In these cases patients present with efficient tagging and the colon is relatively clean (Fig. 4.3). In our experience none of these patients suffered from post-procedural colonic impaction with baroliths. 

Cause Drugs / Drink / Dehydration Electrolyte disturbance Lots of pain Infection / Inflammation Respiratory failure (hypoxia/hypercapnia) Impaction (Faecal / constipation) Urine retention Metabolic disorder (liver/renal failure, h5q)oglycaemia) / Malnutrition Sensory impairment / Sleep problems... 

Initial studies in our laboratory indicate that the gut microflora of patients with ulcerative colitis responds in a similar manner to that of healthy individuals upon prebiotic ingestion, that is, increased faecal bifidobacteria and/or lactobacilli (Kolida unpublished data). Germinated barley foodstuff (GBF), which is a mixture of glutamine-rich protein and hemicellulose-rich fibres, has been shown to alleviate colitic symptoms in animal models of ulcetative colitis and in colitic patients (Bamba et al. 2002 Araki et al. 2000). This foodstuff, although rich in readily fermented fibre, has not been assessed for its prebiotic capabilities. That is to say, that although a beneficial health effect has been observed upon ingestion of GBF, the impact of GBF fermentation upon the gut microflora, and in particular on relative numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, has not been determined. 

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