Why is a patient not allowed to eat or drink when they have gastrointestinal bleeding?
1 Answer
Apr 7, 2016
To decrease peristalsis (natural movement of intestines to promote digestion).
Explanation:
When you eat and/or drink something through the mouth, it will pass through your esophagus, unto the stomach and the intestines which will trigger peristalsis. Imagine that someone who has a damaged GI tract is bleeding internally then you add peristalsis to the mix, it will make that person's condition worse and trigger more bleeding. This is ordered by the doctor and carried out by the staff nurses on duty.
