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Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor GIMM
Published on: December 1, 2010
Gastrointestinal Traumatic Injuries: Gastrointestinal Perforation
Maria A Revell1, Marcia A Pugh2, Melanie McGhee3
1School of Nursing, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A Merritt Boulevard, Campus Box 9590, Nashville, TN 37132, USA.
Insights
Gastrointestinal trauma, from accidents or illness, can severely injure abdominal organs. Prompt treatment is crucial, focusing on injury severity and patient stability.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Trauma Surgery
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- The abdomen contains vital gastrointestinal organs susceptible to injury.
- Trauma can be either blunt or penetrating, with diverse causes.
- Nontraumatic conditions also frequently cause gastrointestinal damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the scope of gastrointestinal trauma.
- To categorize causes of gastrointestinal injury.
- To emphasize critical treatment considerations.
Main Methods:
- Review of traumatic and nontraumatic causes of gastrointestinal injury.
- Analysis of injury mechanisms and their impact.
- Discussion of essential management principles.
Main Results:
- Gastrointestinal trauma encompasses injuries to the stomach, small bowel, colon, and rectum.
- Causes range from penetrating (gunshots, stabbings) and blunt trauma (collisions, crush) to nontraumatic conditions (appendicitis, Crohn disease, cancer, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, bowel obstruction, chemotherapy).
- Injury mechanism dictates the nature and severity of damage.
Conclusions:
- Gastrointestinal trauma requires immediate attention due to its critical nature.
- Management must address specific injuries and general trauma concerns, including hemodynamic instability.
Abstract:
The abdomen is a big place even in a small person. Gastrointestinal trauma can result in injury to the stomach, small bowel, colon, or rectum. Traumatic causes include blunt or penetrating trauma, such as gunshot wounds, stabbings, motor vehicle collisions, and crush injuries. Nontraumatic causes include appendicitis, Crohn disease, cancer, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, blockage of the bowel, and chemotherapy. The mechanism of injury will affect both the nature and severity of any resulting injuries. Treatment must address the critical and emergent nature of these injuries as well as issues that affect all trauma situations, which include management of hemodynamic instability.
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