Intestinal failure can occur in children or adults due to disorders such as Crohn’s disease or short bowel syndrome. Innovations in medicine, such as TPN, have greatly improved the chances of correcting or controlling the condition. Treatment options include surgery, medication, and bowel transplants.
Intestinal failure is a health condition in which the intestinal tract is rendered unable to digest food properly. This creates a situation where the system is unable to process the nutrients, electrolytes and fluids of that food in a way that helps support healthy body function. A digestive system failure can occur in children or adults and is often the result of having some type of disorder such as Crohn’s disease. People who have had part of their small intestine removed can develop what is known as short bowel syndrome, a condition that often results in intestinal failure.
There is also the possibility that bowel failure is due to some type of birth defect of the digestive system. This is sometimes the case for infants and toddlers who are unable to get essential nutrition from food. While in decades past, the occurrence of this type of system failure often led to a high fatality rate, innovations in medicine have greatly improved the chances of correcting or at least controlling the condition. Surgery can sometimes be employed to correct the defect, while the use of various types of medications can aid digestion and the assimilation of nutrients from food.
Another innovation, known as total parenteral nutrition or TPN, has also made a huge difference in the number of patients who survive the condition. The process of TPN involves the use of a catheter to deliver essential nutrients, a process that helps prevent malnutrition. Typically, the catheter is placed in the neck, arm, chest, or groin area. While not without risk, this method can often mean the difference between life and death.
Adults can also develop intestinal failure. People who develop Crohn’s disease are at an increased risk of digestive tract failure. Likewise, the failure can be a reaction to some recent surgical procedure that traumatized the small or large intestine. Damage to the intestines from an accident or other mishap can also trigger a situation where the digestive system is unable to properly break down food and utilize ingested nutrients. Here, medications can sometimes help control the situation while other treatment options are explored. In severe cases of bowel failure, treatments may include large or small bowel transplants, or some other surgical procedure that removes the damaged section of bowel, allowing the rest of the system to start working properly again.
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