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.
milan2099 / Getty Images
milan2099 / Getty Images
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.
Complications
The contents of the bowel can leak out through the hole in the colon wall.
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.
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.
Ruptured Colon Causes
you could have a hole in your colon that happens by itself.
Perforated bowels also can be because of a medical procedure that’s done in or near your digestive tract.
Some procedures rely on instruments that can create a hole in the colon by accident.
Trauma, because of some key in of accident or force, also can cause a perforated bowel.
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.
Acomplete blood countmay reveal that your level of white blood cells is high.
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.
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.
It gives the inner lining of the colon the time to heal properly.
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.
Summary
A perforated bowel is a hole in the lining of your colon.
The contents in your colon can leak out through the hole due to a perforated bowel.
This can cause bleeding, as well as a painful and serious infection.
A perforated bowel can usually be treated with surgery.
If left untreated, though, the infection it causes can lead to death and disability.
If you think you have symptoms of bowel perforation, don’t wait.
Seek medical care immediately.
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