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Query: UMLS:C0021843 (bowel obstruction)
 9,927 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The authors describe a patient with chronic renal failure who developed intestinal obstruction from talcum powder pica. A literature review found 43 previously reported cases of surgical complications caused by various forms of pica. Most occurred in women, blacks, aborigines, children, or the mentally retarded--all groups in whom pica occurs more frequently than the general population. Intestinal obstruction was the most common clinical presentation and the ileum most often the site of obstruction reported at surgery. Perforation with peritonitis was the next most common presentation but three cases of colon perforation were diagnosed only at surgery or postmortem. Mixed pica (paper, plastic bags, cloth, string) seemed more likely to require surgery and to cause perforation. An accurate preoperative diagnosis was made most often when a history of pica was sought, and opacity on abdominal X rays correctly interpreted. These clues to pica as the underlying cause of abdominal complaints should not be neglected in patients who are members of the groups known to be at higher risk of this compulsive eating disorders.
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PMID:Surgical complications of pica: report of a case of intestinal obstruction and a review of the literature. 192 84

We report the incidence of normal (50.4%), increased (46.7%), and decreased (2.9%) anion gap among hospitalized patients in a retrospective study. The mean and range of increased anion gaps were 25 and 19-28 mmol/L. Values exceeding 30 mmol/L were uncommon and may indicate either acidosis or laboratory error. The most common causes of the increased anion gap among patients were chronic renal failure, congestive heart failure, malignant neoplasm, and diabetes mellitus. Increased anion gap in this study may be due to excess acids along with decreases in sodium, chloride, and carbon dioxide. The mean and range of decreased anion gap were 6 and 3-8 mmol/L. Anion-gap values less than 3 mmol/L were uncommon (one of 500 cases), and a high incidence of such values may indicate laboratory error. Nephrotic syndrome, liver cirrhosis, intestinal obstruction, and severe hemorrhage were the common disorders associated with decreased anion gap, which resulted from hypoalbuminemia and hyponatremia. Although most patients with decreased anion gap had hypoalbuminemia, hypoalbuminemic patients did not necessarily have decreased anion gap.
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PMID:Value of the anion gap in clinical diagnosis and laboratory evaluation. 682 31

Fleet enema (sodium phosphate, C.B. Fleet Co., Inc., Lynchburg, Virginia) is widely used for bowel preparation or constipation relief in the hospital and over the counter. The potential risks, including hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemic coma should be kept in mind of primary care physician. The patients with older age, bowel obstruction, small intestinal disorders, poor gut motility, and renal disease are contraindicated or should be administered with caution. We present a patient with old age and chronic renal failure who developed severe hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemic tetany with coma after sodium phosphate enema. We recommend the use of alternative enema preparations, such as simple tap water or saline solution enemas, which can prevent fatal complications in high risk patients.
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PMID:Extreme hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemic coma associated with phosphate enema. 1837 52

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a rare clinical syndrome characterized by an acquired, inflammatory fibrocollagenous membrane encasing the small intestine, resulting in symptoms of bowel obstruction. It is still unclear whether early surgical intervention has an advantage over conservative management, but, in most reviewed case reports, it is preferred to preserve the surgical management in patients not responding to conservative measures, or when bowel ischaemia is occurring. We report a case of a 58-year old patients, affected by chronic renal failure, on treatment with peritoneal dialysis, in which a late diagnosis of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis was made, and where surgical intervention was not sufficient to guarantee survival due to the late diagnosis.
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PMID:Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis: do not be too late for the right diagnosis! Case report and short literature review. 3201 90