Intestinal infarction is a condition in which blood circulation in the intestinal vessels is impaired. The vessels are clogged with blood clots, as a result of which the blood does not flow to certain sections. This leads to the death of cells, or acute necrosis. Intestinal infarction is a very dangerous ailment.
Why is this happening?
But not only a blood clot can clog a vessel. A sclerotic plaque that has come off is also within the power. Therefore, obesity is another risk factor. Interestingly, men and women get sick equally often.
This happens most often in the small intestine and its surrounding areas. Often this happens when there is a disease of the cardiovascular system, and it progresses. Consider intestinal infarction in this article. Symptoms - the first signs of this disease - will be described.
What heart diseases lead to intestinal thrombosis?
It happens in older people, whose age is more than 50 years. It is extremely rare at a young age. But if there are certain diseases, which will be discussed later, it is possible that not a very elderly person will encounter such an ailment.
Intestinal infarction is otherwise called mesenteric thrombosis or mesenteric obstruction. A reflex bowel spasm occurs, this leads to a narrowing of the vessels. The vessels, in turn, can become clogged by blood clots in the blood. Some people have a predisposition to this condition, so they are at risk.
Kinds
There are several types of mesenteric obstruction. They depend on the affected vessel:
- Arterial obstruction.
- Venous.
- Mixed bowel obstruction.
The main causes of intestinal infarction
In this connection, intestinal infarction may occur? The reasons are often obvious.
Mesenteric thrombosis occurs as a result of:
- developing rheumatism;
- atherosclerosis, which leads to vasoconstriction;
- paresis of blood vessels;
- acute and chronic cardiovascular failure;
- severe shock, as a result of which the blood flow is disturbed. Blood flows in large volumes to the heart and brain, and departs from the intestines and other internal organs. This causes a narrowing of the lumen of the vessels, which can trigger the appearance of blood clots;
- severe blood loss;
- heart disease;
- myocardial infarction ;
- atrial fibrillation;
- infectious endocarditis.
Sometimes there can be several reasons at the same time.
Most often, people with severe heart pathologies suffer from this ailment. Sometimes the disease develops as a result of the occurrence of postpartum thrombosis. And also at risk - women who take hormonal contraceptive drugs for a long time. Therefore, you can drink medicine only under the supervision of a doctor, you need to do this with great care. A woman taking oral contraceptives should definitely quit smoking if she smokes.
Additional factors
In some cases, a small bowel infarction develops due to:
- sepsis;
- endocarditis;
- hypertension;
- thrombophlebitis.
After surgery, this situation is possible, since the body forces are aimed at preventing blood loss as a result of bleeding. It is during this period after the operation that blood clots often form, which can clog the vessels. Sometimes the gut suffers. Diseases and symptoms are often left unattended, leading to dire consequences.
Diagnostic Methods
Diagnose an unpleasant and dangerous ailment using instrumental and laboratory research methods. It is necessary to contact specialists on time and undergo a full examination of the whole organism. This will help determine the early stage of the disease. Measures will be taken, as a result of which thrombosis will be avoided.
Mesenteric thrombosis and predisposition to it are diagnosed in several ways:
- using diagnostic laparoscopy. In this case, several small holes are made in the abdominal cavity. Then an optical device penetrates into these holes, so the intestinal walls are examined. In this way, intestinal infarction can be avoided. This diagnostic method is very informative, but it is used with obvious signs of the development of the disease in order to prevent a pathological condition;
- a clinical blood test (indicators of leukocytes and ESR, which are above normal, indicate inflammation in the body);
- using diagnostic laparotomy. An incision is made in the middle of the abdominal cavity, an examination is carried out through it. The state of blood vessels, as well as intestinal loops, is determined. If a site with dead cells is detected, it is immediately removed;
- with selective mesentericography, which reveals any disturbances in blood circulation;
- during angiography of blood vessels - the procedure for staining blood with a special substance is performed, then a picture is taken, which shows the state of the mesenteric vessels of the intestine.
It is important to understand that laparotomy, laparoscopy, angiography of the vessels is carried out only if there are all signs that acute mesenteric vascular thrombosis will develop soon. If these symptoms do not exist, then a clinical blood test will be sufficient.
If the development of mesenteric thrombosis is allowed, then this will lead to death. Therefore, it is so important to seek help on time. Specialists will perform a laparotomy and remove the dead area, which will save the patient's life.
Other research methods are used in cases where there is no risk to life.
What are the signs of intestinal infarction?
The disease can begin acutely, gradually, and it may also have certain precursors.
If you manage to recognize the disease in a timely manner, you can save a human life. Consider in more detail the main symptoms of mesenteric thrombosis:
- pallor of the skin;
- strong and irregular heartbeat;
- increased body temperature;
- stool with blood (in some cases, the blood is dark in color, which indicates that it is old - this necrotic mucous membrane is rejected);
- the stomach is swollen;
- the appearance of compaction in the abdomen;
- severe pain in the abdominal cavity;
- vomiting with blood;
- jumps in blood pressure;
- fainting;
- difficult waste gases and feces.
If the disease develops gradually, then the symptoms do not appear so bright at first. Harbingers can be aching stomach pains, bloating, frequent diarrhea. But the intestine hurts so often (diseases and symptoms must be known in order to be able to distinguish them).
It is necessary to distinguish a heart attack in the intestine from other acute surgical diseases, for example:
- from acute appendicitis (the pain is localized on the right, there is nausea and vomiting);
- intestinal infection or toxic poisoning (impaired stool, vomiting);
- gastric or intestinal bleeding (vomit in which blood is present, feces with blood).
Three stages of intestinal infarction
There are several stages of the disease:
- 1st stage. This stage is called ischemic. It is characterized by severe pain in the abdominal region. Its duration is about 5-6 hours. Pain at the first stage resembles contractions, then become permanent. It hurts mainly in the area around the navel, because the small intestine is affected . Accompanied by pain diarrhea, nausea, vomiting.
- 2nd stage. If the patient is not provided with timely assistance, the disease progresses. There is intestinal necrosis. The patient's health worsens, a strong pallor of the skin appears. But the pain subsides. The patient's tongue is covered with plaque. The abdomen becomes soft but swollen.
- 3rd stage. A person suffers from severe intoxication, dehydration. There is apathy for others, convulsions, coma. At this stage, a person may die.
Therefore, if you have any suspicions of a possible intestinal infarction, you must immediately call an ambulance.
Recommendations
For pain in the abdominal cavity, it is necessary to consult a surgeon. Based on the results of the consultation, one or another examination may be prescribed.
Perhaps this is a heart attack. What is this and the consequences of this ailment, we examined earlier.
Treatment of mesenteric thrombosis
Therapy of intestinal infarction should be timely and extremely fast. As already mentioned, only a few hours will pass from the beginning of the ischemic stage, and it will be very difficult to save a person. Therefore, when the first signs of mesenteric thrombosis appear, you must immediately seek medical help.
But there are cases that the operation is carried out, but a person dies anyway. This means that there was a rapid development of necrosis. The human body has suffered greatly from this, damage to internal organs is incompatible with life. So often manifest the disease of the elderly.
Stages of surgical intervention
- First of all, you need to find a blood clot that clogged the vessel.
- Then isolate the mesentery and the intestinal tract that is affected.
- Remove dead and diseased tissue.
- Remove the blood clot.
The faster and more accurately the actions of doctors will be, the larger a section of tissue can be saved. This increases the patient's chances of survival.
In cases where an incomplete blockage of the vessel has occurred, drug therapy is carried out. Namely, anticoagulant drugs that can thin the blood. Further blockage of the vessel does not occur. But with incomplete occlusion of the vessel, there are no special signs of the disease, so this stage is often skipped. As a result, surgical intervention cannot be avoided.
In this condition, the risk of death is high.
The disease can result in the following outcomes. The patient can recover after surgery, ulcers may form in the intestine, inflammatory processes in the intestine will occur, bleeding will open, perforation of the intestinal wall can form, and it can purulently inflame, which is fraught with peritonitis. That's how insidious a heart attack is. Symptoms need to be recognized in a timely manner.
What is the prognosis for intestinal infarction?
It is important to understand that with this disease, mortality is high. It is higher than with perforated ulcer and acute appendicitis. Since intestinal thrombosis often resembles other diseases that need to be treated surgically, it is rather difficult to diagnose. The consequences of this may be irreversible.
A healthy and young person does not need to conduct tests for existing mesenteric thrombosis. But those who fall into a certain risk group should be examined on a regular basis. This will help to identify pathology as soon as possible. Those with a sore heart or poor blood vessels should worry. It is necessary to donate blood for analysis periodically to identify the onset of increased thrombosis. Anticoagulants will provide blood thinning, as a result of which blood clots will not appear.
To avoid a recurrence of the situation, you should regularly take tests and take medications (dilating blood vessels that prevent blood clots, regulate blood coagulation). If no action is taken, severe intestinal infarction will develop, which could be fatal.
But if the operation is carried out in a timely manner, the stage is early, success is ensured. There will be no complications. Of course, the location of the thrombus determines the possible consequences. The patient is likely to completely recover after surgery. Especially if you take drugs to restore intestinal microflora.
Preventative measures
All actions aimed at preventing intestinal thrombosis are similar to those carried out with myocardial infarction. First of all, it is necessary to prevent increased blood clots in the blood. In general, the recommendations are as follows:
- compliance with a healthy lifestyle;
- carrying out procedures for hardening the body, which well strengthens blood vessels;
- you need to move as much as possible, engage in physical education (running, swimming, active games in the fresh air are suitable);
- adjust nutrition - refuse fatty, fried, flour, it is better to eat less meat and fish, more vegetables and fruits;
- it is imperative to bring the weight back to normal;
- abandonment of all existing bad habits - smoking is particularly detrimental to the state of blood vessels, it also provokes the formation of blood clots in the blood;
- Well, you definitely need to take drugs to restore intestinal microflora.
If you follow all the recommendations, dangers can be avoided.