What is guarding in peritonitis?
What is guarding in peritonitis?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Abdominal guarding is the tensing of the abdominal wall muscles to guard inflamed organs within the abdomen from the pain of pressure upon them. The tensing is detected when the abdominal wall is pressed. Abdominal guarding is also known as ‘défense musculaire’.
How do you assess for guarding?
To differentiate between voluntary and involuntary guarding, pay attention to the patient’s nonverbal clues during a conversation while palpating the abdomen. With voluntary guarding, the patient will consciously contract the abdominal muscles in anticipation of the physician laying hands on their abdomen.
What causes abdominal muscle guarding?
Abdominal guarding is detected when the abdomen is pressed and is an indication that inflammation of the inner abdominal (peritoneal) surface may be present due, for example, to appendicitis or diverticulitis.
What is guarding on abdominal exam?
Guarding, in contrast, is a voluntary contraction of the abdominal wall musculature to avoid pain. Thus, guarding tends to be generalized over the entire abdomen, whereas rigidity involves only the inflamed area. Guarding can often be overcome by having the patient purposely relax the muscles; rigidity cannot be.
What is muscle guarding?
Muscle guarding is the state when muscles are held in a partial state of readiness to act. A runner at the starting line that is waiting for the signal is muscle guarding, the body is holding the muscles partially contracted so they are prepared for the upcoming demands. Similar to the flight or fight syndrome.
What is guarding in abdominal examination?
Can you hear bowel sounds with ascites?
You should note tympany over the air-filled bowel and dullness over areas of collected fluid. Have the patient lie facing you. Percuss from the upper side of his abdomen downward. If ascites is present, the fluid shifts downward, so you’ll hear tympany at first, then dullness over the area with fluid.
What is the medical definition of guarding?
: involuntary reaction to protect an area of pain (as by spasm of muscle on palpation of the abdomen over a painful lesion)
