Bowel Elimination and Fluid Balance Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering urinary calculations, normal bowel elimination, gastrointestinal motility, and management of bowel alterations.

Ice chips intake conversion

The calculation principle where ice chips count as exactly half ($\frac{1}{2}$) of their recorded volume when tallying client fluid intake.

Continuous Bladder Irrigation (CBI) output calculation

The formula used to determine true urine output during irrigation: total fluid volume recorded in the drainage bag minus the volume of irrigation fluid instilled.

Fluid ounce to milliliter conversion

The standard metric volume conversion ratio where $1\,\text{ounce} = 30\,\text{milliliters}$.

CAUTI prevention measures

Core nursing actions that lower the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, which include keeping the drainage bag suspended below bladder level and delivering perineal hygiene at least every $8\,\text{hours}$ and following every bowel movement.

Peristalsis

The coordinated wave-like smooth muscle contractions that transport digestive contents through the gastrointestinal tract and enable nutrient and water absorption.

Colon functions

The three essential tasks of the large intestine: absorbing water (up to $1.5\,\text{liters}$ per day) and electrolytes (sodium and chloride), secreting mucus, and eliminating solid waste.

Abdominal auscultation sequence

The anatomical quadrant order used to assess bowel sounds: right lower quadrant (RLQ), right upper quadrant (RUQ), left upper quadrant (LUQ), and left lower quadrant (LLQ), following the natural flow of the large intestine.

Constipation

A clinical symptom—not an independent disease—characterized by infrequent, hard, dry, and difficult-to-pass stools, frequently triggered by immobility, low fiber intake, inadequate fluid intake, or opioid therapy.

Fecal impaction

A mass of hardened, dry stool wedged in the rectum that blocks passage due to prolonged colon water absorption, typically manifested by rectal cramping and continuous oozing of liquid stool.

Digital fecal removal

The manual disimpaction of hard rectal stool using a gloved, well-lubricated finger, performed gently and incrementally to prevent tissue trauma and avoid vagal nerve triggering.

Vagus nerve stimulation

A parasympathetic response elicited during aggressive rectal procedures or digital disimpaction that can precipitate sudden bradycardia, lightheadedness, and cardiovascular collapse.

Diarrhea

An alteration in bowel elimination defined by an increase in the fluidity, volume, and frequency of bowel movements, typically manifesting as watery stools two or three times daily.

Acute diarrhea

An episode of loose, watery stool lasting for a duration of less than $14\,\text{days}$.

Persistent diarrhea

Diarrhea that continues over an intermediate duration between $14$ and $30\,\text{days}$.

Chronic diarrhea

Ongoing, unresolved loose stool lasting approximately $30\,\text{days}$ or longer.

Hypokalemia (diarrhea-induced)

A dangerous serum electrolyte imbalance characterized by depleted potassium levels resulting from rapid intestinal transit and fluid loss, directly jeopardizing cardiac, renal, and skeletal muscle function.

Minimum normal urine output

The baseline renal excretion standard of at least $30\,\text{mL/hour}$, below which volume depletion or renal compromise is suspected.

Flatulence

Gas trapped in the intestinal tract that produces abdominal fullness, distension, and cramping, which is most effectively mobilized postoperatively through early ambulation.

Hemorrhoids

Dilated, engorged blood vessels in the rectum caused by increased intra-abdominal pressure, pregnancy, or chronic straining, often marked by pain and bright red blood coating the surface of stool.

Upper versus lower GI bleeding

A diagnostic distinction based on stool appearance: bright red blood indicates an origin in the lower colon or rectum, whereas dark, degraded blood signals bleeding from higher within the stomach or small intestine.

Bowel training

A scheduled rehabilitative routine designed to establish regular defecation habits, commonly timed after meals when the gastrocolic reflex reaches its greatest intensity.