Perforation of the Digestive Tract

Injuries, certain diseases, or swallowing certain things can make a hole in your digestive tract

Food, digestive juices, or waste leak out of the hole into your chest or belly and make you very sick

You’ll have sudden, severe pain in your chest or belly

Doctors do 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 sometimes 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

A perforation is a medical emergency, and you'll need surgery right away

Without treatment, you might die

Injury, such as from being stabbed, shot, or injured in a car crash

Swallowing something that gets stuck (a foreign body Foreign Bodies in the Digestive Tract Foreign bodies are ingested objects that can get stuck in the digestive tract and sometimes perforate (pierce) it. Foreign bodies may be accidentally or intentionally swallowed. Foreign bodies... read more )

Swallowing a chemical, such as acid, that eats a hole in your esophagus or stomach

Throwing up really hard

Certain diseases, such as diverticulitis Diverticulitis Your intestine is the long tube in your digestive system that digests food and absorbs nutrients. You have a large intestine and a small intestine. Your large intestine (colon) connects your... read more , peptic ulcer disease Peptic Ulcer Disease Your stomach makes a lot of acid, which helps digest food. Normally, the lining of your stomach and intestines has defenses against the acid. If something interferes with those defenses, the... read more , blocked intestines Intestinal Obstruction You have a small intestine and a large intestine. The small intestine is a long coiled tube that connects your stomach to your large intestine. The large intestine is shorter but wider and leads... read more , Crohn disease Crohn Disease Your digestive tract is the path that food takes through your body after you eat it. Food goes from your mouth (eating) to your anus (passing stool). Your intestine is the long tube in your... read more , and ulcerative colitis Ulcerative Colitis Your digestive tract is the path that food takes through your body after you eat it. Food goes from your mouth (eating) to your anus (passing stool). Your intestine is the long tube in your... read more

Sudden, severe pain in your belly or chest

Sweating

A belly that is tender and firm when touched

Feeling sick to your stomach

Throwing up

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 of your chest and belly

Sometimes, 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

Immediate surgery to close the hole and stop fluid and intestinal contents from leaking out

Fluids and antibiotics given through your vein (IV)