Thea Mae M.

Baldostamon
BSN-1A
Gastrointestinal System Synthesis
Summary
The mouth, pharynx (throat), esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus are all
part of the gastrointestinal system. The salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas, which produce
digestive fluids and enzymes to aid in the digestion of food and liquids, are also included. From the
mouth to the anus, the gastrointestinal system is essentially a tube. It has a consistent structure
throughout. The lumen is a hollow part of the tube with a muscle layer in the middle and an epithelial cell
layer on top. These layers are in charge of preserving the tract's mucosal integrity. Various auxiliary
organs support the digestive system by secreting enzymes that aid in the breakdown of food into its
constituent components. The gastrointestinal tract's principal function is to break down food into nutrients
that may be taken into the body to generate energy.
Insights:
A gastrointestinal assessment helps us gather data about our patient's digestive system, with both
subjective and objective components. Subjective assessments include taking a thorough history and
performing a physical exam. The gastrointestinal system is responsible for the verification, digestion, and
absorption of nutrients and the excretion of waste. It is critical that we monitor this system to ensure that
all of the previously mentioned elements are functioning properly. Failure to monitor this system can
result in the failure of the body to sustain itself. Identifying what signs to look for and how to concentrate
somewhat on discussion and physical assessment are necessary qualities for nursing students to
understand, merely as they would be for anything or anyone. Every study of systems requires a good
understanding of anatomy and physiology. It's quite vital to recognize the fundamentals of the
gastrointestinal tract. The gastrointestinal assessment is indeed a valuable trait to establish and improve,
especially for student nurses, because it examines a diverse variety of abnormalities that could impact the
body. GI dysfunction can also be life-threatening in certain cases. However, GI assessments are much
more commonly used to detect less crucial issues in patients' day-to-day treatment. But first, before
anything else, when assessing the gastrointestinal system, it is important to begin the assessment by
obtaining a thorough history of abdominal or gastrointestinal complaints. We will need to elicit
information about any complaints of gastrointestinal disease or disorders our clients may have.
Gastrointestinal diseases can have various signs and symptoms, including changes in appetite, weight
gain or loss, dysphagia, intolerance to certain foods, nausea and vomiting, changes in bowel habits, and
abdominal pain. Then, during a gastrointestinal assessment, we nursing students should always remember
the techniques or skills that we will be utilizing in an organized manner, from least disturbing or invasive
to most invasive to the patient. An inspection is first, as it is non-invasive. Auscultation is performed
following inspection; the abdomen should be auscultated before percussion or palpation to prevent the
production of false bowel sounds.
The patient should only be supine on an assessment couch or bed during the examination. To help our
clients release their abdominal muscles, we place a tiny pillow beneath their knees. On some kind of tiny
pillow, their heads should rest easily. The patient's arms must be at her sides pleasantly. To maintain
privacy, drapes should indeed be draped across the breasts and groins, slightly underneath the inguinal
regions. And we will have to stand on the patient's right side. The general contour of the abdomen should
also be examined for any abnormalities. We must notice that it is made as to whether the abdomen is
distended or scaphoid, whether there is any bulging in the flanks, and whether the umbilicus is inverted or
everted. The skin of the abdominal wall of our client will also be examined carefully for hemangiomas or
the dilated veins of a caput Medusa, both indicative of severe liver disease. Scars must also be extensively
examined, with existing procedures being linked to them. Following that, each quadrant of the abdomen
is thoroughly examined for any obvious lumps. The abdominal wall should be inspected carefully during
respiration for any asymmetry of motion. Any such asymmetry may well be due to muscular rigidity from
underlying inflammation. All surgical scars are carefully inspected by us to check for any bulges that may
indicate herniation. The patient should also be asked to cough for us to check again for herniation.
Similarly, we should also inspect the inguinal and femoral regions for herniation during normal
respiration and during cough.
In abdominal examination, the next skill that we are going to use is auscultation, which we are able to
perform before palpation, as palpation may alter the bowel sounds. Starting in the right upper quadrant,
we should listen over the liver for rubs or bruits and over the free abdominal wall of our client for bowel
sounds. One moves next to the left upper quadrant, again listening for bowel sounds and then over the
spleen to detect rubs or bruits. The next one we should auscultate is in the periumbilical regions for aortic
or renal bruits and for bowel sounds, and then in the left and right lower quadrants for bowel sounds or
iliac bruits. If, during the course of auscultation, we have no bowel sounds detected, one should auscultate
in the periumbilical region for 3 full minutes before determining that bowel sounds are absent. The
important points that we should note about bowel sounds are the pitch, intensity, and duration of the
sounds. Any bruits noted should be carefully localized to the loudest point, as this relates to the origin of
the bruit.
Next is palpation of the abdomen, which involves using the flat of our hand and fingers, not the fingertips,
to detect palpable organs, abnormal masses, or tenderness. A methodical approach is required to avoid
mistakes. Palpating the liver in the right upper quadrant should always be the first step. The flat of our
right hand is placed on the abdominal wall with the fingertips pointing toward the right shoulder of our
client. The costal margin should be two to three centimeters beneath the fingertips at all times.And we'll
encourage our clients to take deep breaths and push the liver edge all the way down to their fingertips. We
should perhaps make a note of either the liver’s consistency or whether or not it is highly responsive. It
should be noted whether the edge of the liver is sharp, blunt, or nodular. Our hand may be moved along
the liver edge, outlining the size of the liver. An alternative method of palpating the liver is to hook our
fingers around the costal margin and have our patient inspire deeply to bring the liver edge down. This
technique is particularly effective in patients with normal liver size.
Then the last skill is the percussion of the abdomen, which we are able to perform to check the liver size,
spleen size, and any abnormal gas collections. The size of the liver is estimated by determining the
duration of liver dullness by percussion. Percussion is applied right just under the breast, mostly on the
midclavicular line. A resonant note should be obtained because of the underlying air. We should percuss
it then proceed caudally from the dome of the liver until dullness is noted. Percussion is then continued
caudally until resonance returns, indicating that we should have reached the hepatic flexure of the colon at
the hepatic edge. A healthy liver span is between 10 and 12 cm. If dullness is absent over the liver of a
certain client, this may be a sign of intra-abdominal gas, as might occur with a perforated viscus.
Abdominal discomfort and some other gastrointestinal symptoms, including distention, nausea, and
vomiting, must also be evaluated. After eliciting information about any experienced signs or symptoms of
gastrointestinal disease, ask about your patient's past abdominal or gastrointestinal history, medications,
and nutritional status. Patient history is extremely important in assessing abdominal pain. Pain may be
chronic or acute and related to inflammation, infection, allergy, or food intolerance. Trauma or
obstruction may therefore cause it. Only a few clinical assessment procedures can indeed be utilized to
evaluate severe abdominal pain.
Learnings:
Healthy digestion is essential to the overall health of your body and mind. Over time, however, many
people start to experience digestive issues that can negatively affect their quality of life. Gastrointestinal
(GI) assessment is part of the complete physical examination that you perform. It is an important
component because of its direct relationship with nutrition and an individual's overall health and well-
being. Furthermore, GI disorders are common in most countries around the globe, emphasizing their
clinical importance. Gastrointestinal conditions can vary from asymptomatic and mild to chronic,
intractable, and life-threatening. It is an important body system in the human body. It is also referred to as
the digestive system or the GI system. This system's primary function is to digest food. It, along with
other systems in the body, provides the fuel for the body to perform its functions. Furthermore, the most
important thing I've learned from this topic is that assessing the gastrointestinal system can help identify
how well our digestive system is functioning. The gastrointestinal system consists of the mouth,
esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Gastrointestinal assessment, also called GI
assessment, is performed to measure the health and detect abnormal conditions of the organs and tissues
inside our body (including the stomach) that are part of our digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, and large intestine). In a general sense, I have gained a lot of knowledge about gastrointestinal
system assessment, which is useful for my personal day-to-day life when detecting and treating life
threats like chronic diarrhea and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The gastrointestinal tract lets
us know about the breakdown of food into nutrients, which can be absorbed into the body to provide
energy. Moreover, the gastrointestinal system of a human being is a system that is well known to
immediately trigger an attack on the immune system. The intestines and the stomach are important organ
systems that need to be well taken care of. If they are not, then one could face an attack on their overall
health and even life. The tips above that I have personally gained on how to assess the gastrointestinal
system will help me personally with a nursing health assessment of the gastrointestinal tract. Those
competencies will indeed direct me through some kind of comprehensive assessment. I have such a long
road ahead to go on and plenty of experience to develop my skills and expertise so that I can work
productively sooner, which includes encountering well-rounded individuals along the way, although I am
self-assured that doing so will actually assist and benefit me greatly when I am working on my own. As a
result, those gastrointestinal system assessment recommendations would serve as a reference for me as I
enhance my natural abilities through doing not only gastrointestinal system but also head-to-toe nursing
health evaluations in the near future.