Abdominal assessment/auscultation

[AussieTina]

Hi,

I am nearly through the first year of a three year RN degree. We were given a list of about 60 questions to answer and bring in on tuesday. I have been able to answer all except one, i have searched all of my books and cannot find the answer anywhere so i thought that i would put it here and ask for help :)

3.Explain how bowel sounds may be affected if a person has not eaten and is feeling hungry.

I can find that the bowel sounds will increase if the person has just eaten due to increased peristalsis, but wouldn't it be the same if they are hungry? The tummy 'growls' which is due to the increased peristalsis isn't it?

Tina

[mitchsmom]

Don't know if maybe this will be helpful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borborygmi

Here's part of another page:

"... I thought our stomachs rumble when we're hungry.

Y: They do. When our brain tells us its time to eat, a reflex kicks in that makes the stomach walls contract. The contractions cause the digested food in the intestine to move down towards the rectum. Even if there's no food there the small amount of fluid and mucus in the stomach combined with all that movement in the intestines make burbling and gurgling sounds. That's borborygmi."

http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/borborygmi.html

another:

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2556.html

[AussieTina]

Thanks for your quick reply Mitchsmom.

That's what i thought. My fist thought when i read the question was borborygmi (just couldn't remember how to spell it:chuckle )

But after checking the text book that we have it only mentions borborygmi after you have eaten that is what confused me :uhoh21:

Tina