Ileus

Question: How is paralytic ileus treated as opposed to a normal intestinal obstruction? Usually if the person has a mechanical obstruction they get surgery to remove the blockage. How is paralytic ileus treated in a person? Would they get surgery ??

Answer: No, adynamic ileus is treated supportively. Limiting or stopping oral intake, nasogastric suction as needed, and reversal of any cause get the job done.

Question: I had an ileus after surgery for about 2 weeks, now I have diarrhea, How long will this last? The diarrhea is very dark, almost like there is no stool just bile.

Answer: Very dark diarrhea would not indicate bile; if it is black, it is likely blood. Get it checked out immediately! This could indicate a post-surgical complication. Call your surgeon or medical doctor, describe the symptoms, request an immediate appointment for followup.

Question: What is cystic fibrosis without ileus? Does this even make sense? Okay, I am asking this because my husband's ex wife has told my husband's mother (but hasn't told my husband) that their child together has "cystic fibrosis without ileus". I don't even know if that makes sense that is just what she told her and we are researching it because I know that cystic fibrosis is a serious disease.

Answer: Not sure, but you can ask a respiratory therapist a question at www.aarc.org.

Question: what to do when you have an ileus? I just had stomach surgery and my doctor told me I have an Ileus. Basically my intestines aren't working. Does anyone have any idea how to help the situation.

Answer: Bowel rest. That means nothing by mouth, which is what your surgeons will order. They may start you on clear liquids when they think your intestines are ready for it. If you try to eat before your guts are ready to handle food, it'll only get worse. Hank in there. It's a very common thing.

Question: paralytic ileus risk with 2nd C section? I had a c section and am about to have another. I got paralytic ileus the first time. What is the risk of getting paralytic ileus for a second time? Also what is the mortality rate for both a 2nd C section and paralytic ileus? I'd also like to add that contrary to the internet info I've looked up so far paralytic ileus is very very painful.

Answer: The risk of getting paralytic ileus is probably much the same as it was for your first c-section - fairly low. You were just unlucky. You would have to be very unlucky to have it happen to you again. I am not sure what the exact mortality rate is for 2nd c-section or paralytic ileus, but I do know that it is low. I know it must be terrifying after your last one, but you need to relax and believe that everything will be okay. More than likely, unless you have other complications, your birth will go smoothly - so try and enjoy it! Best of luck to you.

Question: Can hydrocolontherapy be helpful for someone with ileus ?

Answer: Ileus is obstruction of the small bowel (intestine). Hydrocolon therapy is for the large intestine (colon), so the answer is no.

Question: Why does pancreatitis cause an ileus?

Answer: A person does not always have an ileus when they have pancreatitis. Although having acute or chronic pancreatitis can be a factor for a patient also having an ileus. An ileus is a paralyzed small bowel. This can happen for many reasons. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec09/ch132/ch… I can say that both are very painful. The treatment for an ileus is usually time, no food, IV's to prevent dehydration, and sometimes a thin tube is inserted via the nose and eventually placed into the stomach. This tube will be hooked to intermittent suction, to help removed secretions in the stomach that cannot get through. This helps with the pain and vomiting. Exercise, or movement will help this resolve quicker. It is possible to have the nasogastric tube clamped to be able to walk. I hope this answers your question.

Question: what is the EXACT mechanism of paralytic ileus seen post-operatively.?

Answer: PATHOGENESIS OF POSTOPERATIVE ILEUS (POI) — Many clinical conditions have been associated with POI, but they all contribute to GI dysmotility through three common pathways: Inhibitory neural reflexes — Inhibitory neural reflexes are thought to act locally through noxious spinal afferent signals that increase inhibitory sympathetic activity in the GI tract. The clinical importance of this mechanism is that blockade of spinal afferents with epidural local anesthetics or with topical capsaicin can improve POI. Inflammation — POI appears to result from an inflammatory response to intestinal manipulation and trauma. Local macrophages, activated by intestinal manipulation, produce an inflammatory response that results in muscle dysfunction. This observation is supported by animal studies showing that the degree of intestinal manipulation of both the small and large intestine is directly related to both the amount of intestinal dysmotility and the degree of neutrophil infiltration into the intestinal muscularis. Moreover, this effect is not necessarily limited to the manipulated segment as there appears to be an inflammatory field effect affecting the entire GI tract. Intestinal manipulation appears to increase cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and to elevate prostaglandin levels, which in turn decrease jejunal contractility. This effect is blocked in COX-2 deficient mice and by the administration of selective COX-2 inhibitors. Mast cells also appear to play a role since mast cell stabilizers prevent surgically induced intestinal inflammation and dysmotility and mast cell deficiencies limit intestinal leukocyte migration. The inflammatory and neurohumoral pathways (see below) appear to be interrelated as activated inflammatory cells release a variety of substances (eg, cytokines, COX-2, and leukocyte-derived inducible nitric oxide synthase) that further increase inflammatory cell recruitment and inhibit GI motility. Neurohumoral peptides — Nitric oxide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and possibly substance P, are thought to act as inhibitory neurotransmitters in the gut which slow gut motility. In rats, antagonists to these peptides improve surgically induced GI dysmotility. The contribution of substance P is only partially understood; its inhibitory effects may be related to its stimulation of inhibitory sensory signals rather than stimulatory motor activity directly in the gut. Decreases in motilin (a motor-stimulatory hormone), and increases in the inhibitory factors calcitonin gene-related peptide and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) have also been implicated in the pathophysiology of POI. Opioids have well-known inhibitory effects on the GI tract. They increase resting tone while decreasing gastric motility and emptying, increase small intestinal periodic spasms, and decrease propulsive colonic movements. These effects seem to be receptor specific and appear to be mediated primarily at the level of the ENS.

Question: more research on paralytic ileus following correction of scoliosis?

Answer: The link below may be of use to you

Question: ileus or small bowel obstruction? b/g: mom has ovarian cancer, however all recent (past few months) ct-scans, x-rays, and ultrasounds show no tumors. About two months ago severe vomitting (from an oral chemo) resulted in no mobility of the gut and thus no eating or bowel movements. question: recent x-ray of abdoemn said: "Positive bowel gas is noted. Organ shadows and osseous shadows are grossly negative. No significant stools are identified." Prior ct-scan (about 1 to 2 mo ago) said scan shows consistent with ileus vs sbo. So does this sound like it is ileus and not a sbo? miralax is not really working and I'm not sure what to do to make the bowel 'active' again (there are no sounds). What does 'positive bowel gas' mean in relation to what's going on? Thanks in advance for any assistance

Answer: If there is some part of the bowel that is massively distended with air, it only means that the gas is not moving through. No stools pretty much means the same thing. Diagnosing this would require a great deal more information, and without a diagnosis, a treatment cannot be recommended.