Week 8 Flashcards
Gastrointestinal Assessment - bowel movements (7)
- frequency
- colour
- regularity
- consistency
- discomfort
- constipation/diarrhea
- none any change in any of the above
Gastrointestinal Assessment - abdomen inspection (3)
- shape
- abdominal distension
- infants - umbilical hernia
Gastrointestinal Assessment - abdomen auscultation
- bowel sounds in all four quadrants (hyper, hypo, absence etc)
Gastrointestinal Assessment - abdomen palpation (3)
- soft or firm
- pain or tenderness (guarding/grimacing/crying)
- describe any masses palpated (location, shape, size, consistency)
Gastrointestinal Assessment - nutrition (5)
- tolerance of feedings (spitting up, emesis, frequent resp illness)
- colour and frequency of emesis
- during feed or post feed spit ups or projectile
- note amount of intake, frequency of feedings, growth
- weights to monitor growth/ins and outs (diarrhea or vomit it can be hard to accurately measure)
Gastrointestinal differences
- abdominal distension can cause resp distress
- coordinated suck and swallow ability develops by 34 gestation
- coordinated oral pharyngeal movements for swallowing develop after 2 months
- stomach capacity increases from 10-20 mLs to up to 3 Ls (adolescence)
- infants and children may have palpable liver edge below right costal margin
- infants intestine is highly permeable, allowing uptake of protective immunoglobin from human milk
- stool frequency is highest in infancy and decreases to adult frequency by age 4
- defecation is involuntary and reflex in infancy, voluntary - 18mo-4years
Constipation (2)
- 5% of paediatrician visits
- rarely signifies a serious disease –> signifies poor quality of life for patient and parents, health care costs
Frequency of poops - infant
- 3-4 stools per day
Frequency of poops - infant
- 3-4 stools per day
Frequency of poops - toddler
2-3 stools per day
Frequency of poops - age 4 and up
adult daily pattern
Constipation - definition
infrequent passage of hard uncomfortable stools that are distressing to the child
Constipation - causes (5)
- inadequate hydration
- low fibre diet
- slow intestinal transit
- minimal activity level (inactivity)
- behavioural factors
Constipation - cause by age - infancy
- when breastfed infant is transitioned to formula or whole milk, purreed to solid foods
Constipation - cause by age - trend
- any age, most commonly presents during period of transition
Constipation - cause by age - toddlers
when toilet training begins
Constipation - cause by age - school
using a toiled away from home (school, summer camp, etc)
Constipation - load over time
- larger stool load in rectum causing further stretching and potential thinning of the rectal wall
- left untreated, can lead to complications
Constipation - complications
- enuresis
- frequent UTIs
- rectal prolapse
- pelvic dyssynergia
- hirschsprung
- hypothyroidism
- opiod narcotics
Constipation - treatment - education (3)
- talk to parents and child about constipation:
- its influence on lower GI function and overflow
- fecal incontinence
Constipation treatment - clean out/disimpaction
- high dose oral laxatives
- enemas
- manual disimpaction
- nasogastric admin of bowel cleansing agent
- preferred method is via oral route
Constipation treatment
- patient education
- clean out/disimpaction
- maintinance
Constipation treatment - maintenance (4)
- laxative therapy to ensure regular passage of soft, appropriate sized stools
- eliminate painful defacation
- treatment phase can last months to years, close follow up
- PEG 3350 = drug of choice (polyethylene glycol 1 g/kg/day)- hard to convince kid sometimes as it tastes bad
Diarrhea - acute gastroenteritis - world picture (5)
- common ilness
- 1.5 million outpatient visits yearly
- developing - common cause of mortality under 5 years
- american younger than 5 = 2 episodes per year
- 10% of all pediatric hospital admissions