Bowel obstruction
Structured condition card with NCLEX priority cues and nursing action focus.
GI / Liver / Pancreashigh priorityneeds review
Bowel obstruction
Etiology / Pathophysiology
- Adhesions, hernia, tumor, volvulus, ileus, or fecal impaction.
- Bowel contents cannot pass, causing distention, vomiting, fluid shifts, and ischemia risk.
Medications
No specific medication class was seeded for this card.
Signs / symptoms
- No flatus/stool plus distention.
- Feculent vomiting is severe.
Nursing actions
- Assess pain, distention, vomiting, bowel sounds, and last stool/flatus.
- Keep NPO and prepare NG decompression or surgery pathway if ordered.
- Monitor fluid/electrolytes and signs of perforation.
Complications
- Perforation
- Peritonitis
- Shock
- Bowel ischemia
NCLEX cues
- No flatus/stool plus distention.
- Feculent vomiting is severe.
Memory hooks
- Blocked bowel backs up and dries out.
Labs / Diagnostics
- Trend assessment findings and ordered diagnostics; verify exact values with school source material.
Review notes
- Session-derived study seed. Verify against school materials, ATI/NCLEX review sources, current orders, and facility policy before relying on details.
Cross references
Related cards are generated from the shared study map, not hand-built per page.
Source entitycondition card
Bowel obstruction
Condition card for Bowel obstruction: recognize the testable cue, prevent the complication, and choose the safest first nursing action.
Procedurecondition
Bowel surgery post-op care
Post-operative care after bowel repair, resection, or obstruction-related surgery.
Procedurecondition
Gastric decompression
NG or OG tube used to remove stomach or bowel contents and reduce distention/vomiting.
Termcondition cue
NG / OG
Tube through the nose or mouth into the stomach for decompression, feeding, or medication delivery.