What is incarcerated hernia?

Hernia incarceration is caused by a weak or defective abdominal wall. It is generally divided into two causes: congenital factors and acquired factors. When the bulge cannot be reduced and is accompanied by pain, it proves that the hernia has become incarcerated. At this time, it must be treated in time, otherwise it will cause great harm to the body.

Causes of hernia incarceration Weakness or defect in the abdominal wall

1. Congenital factors During embryonic development, the testicles gradually move downward through the posterior abdominal wall, and push the peritoneum forward near the internal inguinal ring to form the process vaginalis. The testicles are tightly attached to the back of the process vaginalis of the peritoneum, and move to the scrotum in a week at about 9 months of the embryo. Under normal development, the process vaginalis begins to atrophy shortly after birth. Except for the formation of the tunica vaginalis propria near the testicles, the rest of the process vaginalis is completely closed into cord-like tissue. If the process vaginalis of the peritoneum cannot close and continues to open, a congenital defect is formed, which is the main cause of congenital inguinal hernia.

2. Acquired factors Under normal circumstances, when the internal oblique muscle and the transverse abdominal muscle contract, they move closer to the inguinal ligament, closing the inguinal canal and internal ring to prevent the occurrence of hernia. If these muscles are poorly developed and have poor contraction force, once the intra-abdominal pressure increases suddenly, the protective function of the abdominal wall cannot be immediately exerted, the internal ring relaxes, and the internal organs are easily protruded from the inner ring, forming an inguinal hernia.

symptom

When the hernia contents suddenly cannot be retracted, causing symptoms such as pain, it is called incarcerated hernia. It is a serious complication of hernia. Incarcerated hernia can occur when the intra-abdominal pressure increases due to strenuous labor, severe coughing, defecation, etc., but it may also occur without obvious causes. The clinical manifestations are sudden enlargement of the hernia mass, accompanied by severe pain. The mass cannot be retracted by lying flat or pushing it with hands. The mass is tense and hard and tender. Severe cases may be accompanied by symptoms of acute intestinal obstruction such as paroxysmal local colic, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and abdominal distension. Once a hernia is incarcerated, it has little chance of retracting on its own. The symptoms of most patients gradually worsen and, if not treated promptly, may further develop into strangulated hernia. Incarcerated hernia and strangulated hernia are sometimes difficult to distinguish; they are often two different stages of a pathological process.

In the early stage (within 3-5 hours) of incarcerated hernia, local tenderness is not obvious and strangulation is estimated not to have occurred, so reduction can be attempted. Let the patient lie with the head down and feet elevated, ask the patient to relax as much as possible, breathe deeply, and apply a hot towel to the lump. Then use your right hand to hold up the scrotum, and continue to slowly push the hernia into the abdominal cavity to reposition it. Be careful not to be rough so as not to rupture the intestine. It is best to seek help from a surgeon in time.

First aid measures

1. When a hernia first occurs, it is easy to push the intestine back in. After the patient lies flat, he can often use his hands to push the swelling back into the abdominal cavity, at which time a "gurgling" sound can be heard.

2. If the hernia occurs in a child, first comfort the child and stop him from crying. Because crying increases abdominal pressure, it is more difficult to swallow. In order to stop the child from crying, you can coax him by feeding him milk or bathing him. Sometimes bathing can also cure the child. When a child is incarcerated, you can wrap an ice cube (or popsicle) in two layers of gauze or thin cotton cloth to cool the affected area, and apply appropriate pressure until the affected area is repositioned.

3. When elderly people have hernia, they often use their hands to put the intestines back into the abdominal cavity instead of seeking medical treatment. Some elderly people who have hernias do not seek medical treatment for a long time because they are embarrassed, and even their family members do not know about it. This is very dangerous.

4. Sometimes recurring hernias can be stuck outside the abdominal cavity and cannot be pushed back in manually. This type of hernia is called an incarcerated hernia. It can cause severe pain, and over time can lead to serious consequences such as intestinal obstruction and intestinal necrosis.

5. The elderly should actively treat symptoms such as cough, asthma, difficulty urinating, and constipation. At the same time, you should exercise properly from time to time to increase the strength of your abdominal muscles to prevent hernia.

6. If the hernia is incarcerated for more than 10 hours, the patient should be sent to the hospital for emergency treatment immediately to avoid danger.

Precautions

Hernia incarceration can be life-threatening, so active prevention is necessary:

1. Always maintain an optimistic and cheerful mood, which is very helpful for preventing and treating incarceration and hernia care.

2. When hernia first occurs, it should be given enough attention and proper and effective maintenance should be provided.

3. Avoid strenuous activities such as jumping, hopping, stretching, pulling, and carrying heavy objects.

4. Pay attention to diet conditioning and choose nutritious foods that are easy to digest and absorb to reduce the burden on the stomach and intestines and relieve pressure on the hernia.

5. Preventing constipation and keeping bowel movements smooth are the key to preventing hernia, protecting hernia, and preventing incarceration.