Hirschsprung disease
Structured condition card with NCLEX priority cues and nursing action focus.
PediatricsGI / Liver / PancreasOB / Newbornhigh priorityneeds review
Hirschsprung disease
Also testable as: Congenital aganglionic megacolon
Etiology / Pathophysiology
- Congenital absence of enteric ganglion cells in a bowel segment.
- Affected bowel cannot relax and move stool, causing obstruction and megacolon risk.
Medications
No specific medication class was seeded for this card.
Signs / symptoms
- No meconium in first 24 to 48 hours.
- Ribbon-like stools.
- Enterocolitis is emergency.
Nursing actions
- Assess delayed meconium, abdominal distention, bilious vomiting, feeding intolerance, and stool pattern.
- Monitor for enterocolitis signs: fever, explosive diarrhea, lethargy, worsening distention.
- Prepare caregivers for rectal biopsy confirmation and surgical pull-through pathway if ordered.
Complications
- Enterocolitis
- Bowel obstruction
- Perforation
- Sepsis
NCLEX cues
- No meconium in first 24 to 48 hours.
- Ribbon-like stools.
- Enterocolitis is emergency.
Memory hooks
- No ganglion cells means stool cannot go.
Labs / Diagnostics
- Rectal biopsy
- Contrast enema
- Abdominal x-ray
- Hydration/electrolytes
Review notes
- Supplemental wife-requested study card. Use for NCLEX review only and verify against school materials, ATI/NCLEX review sources, current orders, and facility policy.
Cross references
Related cards are generated from the shared study map, not hand-built per page.
Source entitycondition card
Hirschsprung disease
Condition card for Hirschsprung disease: recognize the testable cue, prevent the complication, and choose the safest first nursing action.
Procedureprocedure
Bowel surgery post-op care
Post-operative care after bowel repair, resection, or obstruction-related surgery.
Procedureprocedure
Rectal biopsy
Tissue sampling used to help diagnose Hirschsprung disease.