Bowel and Urinary Elimination Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering concepts, diagnostic values, and nursing care for bowel and urinary elimination from NURS 3125.

Bristol Stool Scale Type 1

Separate hard lumps, like nuts, indicating constipation.

Bristol Stool Scale Type 2

Sausage-shaped stool that is lumpy.

Bristol Stool Scale Type 3

Stool shaped like a sausage or snake with cracks on its surface.

Bristol Stool Scale Type 4

Stool shaped like a sausage or snake that is smooth and soft, representing normal stool.

Bristol Stool Scale Type 5

Soft blobs with clear-cut edges.

Bristol Stool Scale Type 6

Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, forming a mushy stool.

Bristol Stool Scale Type 7

Watery stool with no solid pieces, indicating diarrhea.

Bowel Diversion

A surgical procedure redirecting the flow of feces away from a portion of the digestive tract by creating an opening on the abdominal wall called a stoma.

Cathartics

Agents that exert a stronger and more rapid effect on the bowel than standard laxatives.

Carminative Enema

A type of enema administered specifically to provide relief from gaseous distention.

Medicated Enema

An enema containing therapeutic agents (such as antibiotics or anthelmintics) that must be retained for $1\text{--}3\,\text{hours}$.

Fecal Impaction

An accumulation of severe, dry, retained stool that backs upward from the colon and can lead to a bowel obstruction; cues include oozing liquid stool, decreased appetite, cramping, and abdominal pain.

Digital Removal of Stool

The manual extraction of impacted stool requiring a provider order, used as a last resort in managing severe constipation when enemas fail.

Fine- or Small-Bore Nasogastric Tube

A nasogastric tube measuring $6\text{--}10\,\text{Fr}$ used primarily for medication administration and enteral feedings.

Large-Bore Nasogastric Tube

A nasogastric tube measuring $12\,\text{Fr}$ and above used for gastric decompression or removal of gastric secretions via suction.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Rectal Manipulation)

Stimulation of the vagus nerve caused by rectal tissue manipulation during procedures, which may trigger a sudden decline in pulse rate.

Bladder Urge Volume Threshold

An accumulation of approximately $400\text{--}600\,\text{mL}$ of urine in the bladder, which triggers a strong urge to urinate in most people.

Nocturnal Enuresis

Involuntary urination occurring during sleep at night.

Urinary Retention

An accumulation of urine in the bladder caused by the inability of the bladder to empty.

CAUTI (Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection)

A healthcare-associated infection of the urinary tract linked to catheter use, most commonly caused by E. coli, ranking as the 4th most common HAI.

Transient Incontinence

Involuntary loss of urine caused by medical conditions that are temporary or reversible.

Functional Incontinence

Involuntary loss of urine due to factors outside the urinary tract, such as mobility limits or environmental barriers.

Overflow Incontinence

Involuntary leakage of urine associated with overdistention and retention of the bladder.

Stress Incontinence

Involuntary leakage of urine occurring during activities that increase intra-abdominal pressure, such as coughing or laughing.

Urge Incontinence

Involuntary loss of urine occurring shortly after experiencing a strong, sudden urge to void.

Reflex Incontinence

Involuntary loss of urine occurring at predictable intervals when specific bladder volumes are reached, often without warning or sensation.

Continent Urinary Reservoir

An internal pouch surgically created with a stoma that requires the patient to catheterize $4\text{--}6\,\text{times}$ a day to empty urine.

Orthotopic Neobladder

An ileal pouch surgically constructed to replace the bladder in its original anatomical position, allowing the patient to void through the urethra.

Ureterostomy (Ileal Conduit)

A permanent incontinent urinary diversion where ureters are brought out through the anterior abdominal wall, resulting in continuous urine flow without sensation or control.

Nephrostomy Tubes

Small catheter tubes tunneled through the skin into the posterior flank region to drain the renal pelvis directly when a ureter is obstructed.

Normal Urinalysis Reference Range

Laboratory parameters for clear, pale yellow urine including a pH of $4.6\text{--}8$, specific gravity of $1.005\text{--}1.030$, $0\text{--}4\,\text{WBCs}$, up to $2\,\text{RBCs}$, and absence of glucose, ketones, nitrites, and crystals.

Continuous Bladder Irrigation (CBI)

A procedure that flushes the bladder continuously with normal saline to clear and remove blood clots following surgery.

Intermittent Catheter

Also known as a straight catheter, used several times a day at scheduled intervals or when the bladder feels full to empty urine and then removed.

Suprapubic Catheter

A urinary catheter surgically inserted directly into the bladder through an incision in the lower abdomen just above the symphysis pubis.