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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment for intestinal obstruction depends on the cause of your condition.
Hospitalization to stabilize your condition
Treatment for intestinal obstruction requires hospitalization. When you arrive at the hospital, the doctors will first work to reverse your medical condition and stabilize you so that you can undergo treatment. This may include:
- Placing an intravenous (IV) line into a vein in your arm so that fluids can be given
- Putting a nasogastric (NG) tube through your nose and into your stomach to suck air and fluid out to relieve abdominal swelling
- Placing a thin, flexible tube (catheter) into your bladder to drain urine and collect it for testing
Treatment for a partial mechanical obstruction
If you have mechanical obstruction in which some food and fluid can still get through (partial obstruction), you may recover after you've been stabilized in the hospital. You may not require further treatment. Your doctor may also recommend a special low-fiber diet that is easier for your partially blocked intestine to process. If the obstruction does not clear on its own, you may need surgery to relieve the obstruction.
Treatment for a complete mechanical obstruction
Complete obstruction, in which nothing can pass through your intestine, usually requires surgery to relieve the blockage. The procedure you undergo will depend on what's causing the obstruction and which part of your intestine is affected. Surgery typically involves removing the obstruction, as well as any section of your intestine that has died.
Treatment for paralytic ileus
If your doctor determines that your signs and symptoms are caused by paralytic ileus, he or she may monitor your condition for a day or two in the hospital. Paralytic ileus is often a temporary condition that gets better on its own. If paralytic ileus doesn't improve within several days, your doctor may prescribe medication that causes muscle contractions, which can help move food and fluids through your intestines.
- Turnage RH, et al. Intestinal obstruction. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisinger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookHome&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&uniq=200844987-3. Accessed Aug. 24, 2010.
- Foxx-Orenstein AE. Ileus and pseudo-obstruction. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisinger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookHome&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&uniq=200844987-3. Accessed Aug. 24, 2010.
- Torrey SP, et al. Disorders of the small intestine. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookHome&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP&uniq=216142190-4. Accessed Aug. 24, 2010.
- Peterson MA. Disorders of the large intestine. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookHome&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP&uniq=216142190-4. Accessed Aug. 24, 2010.
- Intestinal pseudo-obstruction. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/intestinalpo/index.htm. Accessed Aug. 24, 2010.
- Abdominal adhesions. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/intestinaladhesions/index.htm. Accessed Aug. 24, 2010.
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