Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
A perforated bowel, or ruptured colon, occurs when a hole is made in the innermost layer of the lining of thecolon, the last place stool passes through before reaching the anus. A ruptured colon can happen due to an injury or illness, such asinflammatory bowel disease(IBD), that harms your digestive tract.
A perforated bowel is life-threatening and requires emergency surgery. About 30% of people with a ruptured colon do not survive. This figure includes people who are treated with emergency surgery, due to the risk of complications. The chances of dying rise to 70% if the colon contents leak into the abdominal cavity and develop a severe infection called peritonitis.
This article explains how a perforated bowel can cause its contents to leak out into the space in your abdomen. It also discusses causes, the risks involved, symptoms that occur, and how a perforated bowel is treated.
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Ruptured Colon Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of a ruptured bowel can vary. They may start slowly or be quite fast, depending on the cause. Symptoms may include:
A perforated bowel is a true medical emergency. If you are experiencing any symptoms of a perforated bowel, call 911 or get to the nearest emergency room right away.
Complications
The contents of the bowel can leak out through the hole in the colon wall. Gastric acids, bacteria, and food particles can leak into the abdominal cavity that contains many of your internal organs.
The leaked bowel contents can lead to infection and inflammation. It also can cause an abscess, or pus-filled space, to form in your abdomen. This is calledperitonitisand will usually cause a great deal of pain.
This painful infection can lead to a body-wide infection calledsepsis. These conditions are life-threatening and often fatal unless rapidly treated.
Complications of an untreated perforation may include:
Factors that affect the severity of a perforated bowel include your overall age and health. The outcome also may depend on how much time it takes to diagnose and treat the problem. Thus, it’s important to act quickly if you experience any symptoms.
Abdominal Pain: What You Should Know
Ruptured Colon Causes
Procedure-Related Causes
Several medical procedures can lead to a perforated bowel. These causes may include:
Canadian researchers looked at more than 96,000 colonoscopies to evaluate the complications with them. Bowel perforations occurred at a rate of six per 10,000 people. Bleeding after a colonoscopy happened at the rate of 26 per 10,000 cases.
Spontaneous Causes
Other causes of a ruptured colon are not linked to a medical procedure. They may include:
Fecal Impaction: Risk Factors and Treatment
Risk Factors
Several factors may raise your risk of a perforated bowel including:
If your healthcare provider thinks you have a perforated bowel, they likely will order some tests. A simple X-ray may show that you have gas outside of your colon but usually is not enough for a diagnosis.
Often, you’ll need to have a computed tomography (CT) scan of your abdomen.A barium enema may be needed, but this procedure to introduce a contrast liquid for better imaging may itself be a risk for bowel perforation.
Acomplete blood countmay reveal that your level of white blood cells is high. This is common with infection and suggests a hole in your colon wall may have been there for a while. Your blood tests also may show signs ofanemiadue to bleeding.
Smaller perforations may be harder to diagnose, and that may mean more time and imaging tests.
CT (Computed Tomography) Scan
Ruptured Colon Surgery
In most cases, you’ll need surgery to repair a perforated bowel. This depends on the size and the site of the tear. Agastroenterologistor colorectal surgery specialist may be able to fix it through an endoscope. However, this is not an option for everyone.
Open bowel surgery is more complicated. In some cases, it may result in astoma and colostomy. A procedure is done to create the stoma, an intentional opening outside of your stomach. Your stool then drains into a small bag until the colon is healed.
Do You Need A Colorectal Surgeon or Gastroenterologist?
Recovery
You will also have anasogastric tubein place to drain the contents of your stomach for a period of time. You may receive intravenous antibiotics and nutrition for a few days if you’re in the hospital.
You’ll naturally want to get back to your normal routine. But it’s important to give your colon the time to heal properly and follow your healthcare provider’s orders.
Summary
If you think you have symptoms of bowel perforation, don’t wait. Seek medical care immediately.
16 Sources
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