Gastric lavage
God Almighty created people and blessed them with the grace of health and the healthy body, but not all people enjoy this grace for the wisdom of God Almighty, and it is not permissible to object to his judgment and his ability when God afflicts us with any injured, he loves us and wants to test us, and the most common diseases among people are diseases of the device Due to bad diet or even reasons related to the human body itself, including stomach pain, inflammation, or accidental poisoning, which causes an imbalance, doctors are forced to a process called “gastric lavage,” what is meant by washing the stomach?
Causes of gastric lavage
Gastric lavage is a process of emptying the inside of the stomach of contents, also known as the “gastrointestinal suction tube”. It is used for several reasons, including:
- Eat toxins or take an overdose of certain medications.
- Get a sample of stomach acid.
- Relieve the pressure on the closed intestine.
- Bleeding of the stomach to withdraw blood outside the body.
- During the operation of the endoscope, to clean the stomach as a result of vomiting blood.
It is worth mentioning here that the process of the endoscope includes the introduction of a telescope through the esophagus to the bottom, and if the treatment of a chemical or toxic through the digestive system is removed through the washing of the stomach not exceeding four hours, and can be performed after specific operations, specifically for the abdomen such as The gastrectomy can keep your stomach empty for healing, leaving some of the fluids that are disposed of immediately after the operation.
Preparation for gastric lavage
If a doctor has to take a toxic drug or overdose, there will be no preparation. If the doctor asks you to take an acid sample, for example, it is like preparing for fasting or avoiding certain foods.
How to do it
Before you start, the doctor gives you a medicine that works to numb the throat to reduce irritation or inflammation. The doctor then inserts a cylindrical tube made of muscle fibers through the mouth or nose through the esophagus toward the stomach, This sensation is temporary, in addition to an inflammation of the throat after the operation. If gastric lavage is used after surgery in the abdominal area, the tube will remain for a certain period to provide the patient with a saline solution until it is cured. The tube is open, The quantity varies depending on the size of the tube and the type of disease itself.