Bowel Evisceration is a life-threatening emergency in which a patient’s intestines literally protrude from an opening in the abdomen, exposing them to the air. It sounds like a horror movie scene, but for some unfortunate patients, this horrific condition can actually happen.

Understanding Bowel Evisceration

• Definition and Causes

Bowel Evisceration is the protrusion of the intestines through a surgical incision or other opening in the abdomen. It is usually caused by poor wound healing or damage to the abdominal wall tissue.
Specifically, possible causes include:
1.Dehiscence or delayed healing of the surgical incision.
2.Abdominal wall hernia or weakened muscle tone.
3.Factors that increase abdominal pressure such as obesity or chronic coughing.
4.Poor wound healing due to diabetes or weakened immune system.

• Typical Symptoms

Once Intestinal Evisceration occurs, the patient will experience severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. The intestines will obviously protrude from the wound and appear twisted, swollen and red.
If the condition continues to worsen, the following complications may occur:
1.Intestinal ischemia and necrosis.
2.Peritonitis and systemic infection.
3.Electrolyte imbalance and dehydration.
4.Shock.

• High-Risk Groups

Although anyone can experience Bowel Evisceration, the following groups of people are at higher risk:
1. People who have undergone abdominal surgery.
2. The elderly or those with weakened immune systems.
3. People who are obese or have weak abdominal muscles.
4. People who have a chronic cough or increased abdominal pressure.
5. People who have poor wound healing due to diabetes or malnutrition.

• Premonitions and warning signs
  Before intestinal prolapse occurs, patients may experience some of the following symptoms, which may be potential warning signs:
  1. Persistent abdominal pain or discomfort
  2. Swelling, redness or exudation around the wound
  3. Severe coughing or straining
  4. Abdominal muscle weakness or decreased tone
  5. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or constipation
  Once these symptoms occur, especially in high-risk groups, you should be vigilant and seek medical attention in time!

Conclusion

Although the incidence of Bowel Evisceration is not high, it may be life-threatening once it occurs. We should improve our sense of crisis and master basic first aid skills so that we can provide necessary assistance at critical moments.

Continue to follow MedEduQuest to learn more medical and nursing skills and continuously improve your first aid ability.

If you need to learn more about the structure of the intestine and the situation of Bowel Evisceration, you can learn about our  eviscerated intestine simulator. It can help you understand the structure of the intestine more intuitively and improve your ability to respond to such critical situations.