Intestinal Obstruction

The most common causes of a blocked intestine in adults are scar tissue from surgery, hernias, and tumors

Food and fluids can't move through a blocked intestine

Your intestine swells as it fills with food, fluid, and gas

You get crampy belly pain, feel sick to your stomach, and may throw up

Doctors find the blockage with x-rays

You may need surgery to remove the blockage

If not treated, the intestine can break open and cause swelling and infection inside your belly

If the obstructed intestine bursts (perforates Perforation of the Digestive Tract A perforation is a hole. Your digestive tract is the group of hollow organs that food passes through when you swallow and digest it. These organs are part of the digestive tract: Esophagus Stomach... read more ) and infects the inside of your belly, that can make you very sick and can kill you

Certain birth defects

Hard meconium (the dark green stool that is made in a baby's intestines before birth)

Twisting of a loop of intestine

A narrow or missing piece of the intestines

Sliding of one part of intestine into another (called intussusception Intussusception The intestine is a hollow tube, like a hose. In intussusception, a part of the intestine suddenly slides inside another part. The sliding blocks your intestine and stops blood flow. Intussusception... read more )

An object the baby swallows

Scar tissue from previous belly surgery

A hernia Abdominal Wall Hernias A hernia is the bulge of an organ through the muscle or tissue that holds it in place. There are many different types of hernias. The most common hernias are in the wall of your abdomen (belly)... read more

Cancer

Hard lump of stool

Cramping pain in your belly

Bloating

Not feeling hungry

Throwing up

Not passing stool and gas

Severe and steady pain

Fever due to infection

Low blood pressure and organs that stop working (sepsis Sepsis Sepsis is when germs (bacteria) get into your bloodstream and trigger a serious body-wide reaction. When sepsis is severe, one or more of your organs may shut down. For example, your kidneys... read more )

X-rays Plain X-Rays A plain x-ray is an imaging test that takes a picture of the inside of your body. It uses a low dose of x-ray radiation. X-rays show body parts according to how dense (solid) they are. Doctors... read more and/or a CT (computed tomography) scan Computed Tomography A CT scan uses a large machine shaped like a large donut to take x-rays from many angles. A computer then takes the x-rays and creates many detailed pictures of the inside of your body. Each... read more

Have you not eat or drink anything

Pass a tube through your nose into your intestine (NG tube) to suck out everything behind the blockage

Give you fluids directly into a vein (IV)