constipation in a spica cast

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Perrotfish

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Does anyone have any tricks for relieving constipation for someone (a peds patient) ina Spica cast without risking ruining the cast with a blowout stool? Does an enema work well? Is there a way to shield the cast when you're.giving miralax? Thoughts?
 
Various types of tape can be put all over the opening around their butt, which can be removed if soiled, or just wiped with a wet wipe. When I did peds ortho, we would wrap moleskin over the sharp plaster edges and then wrap plastic-coated tape over that.

As for the constipation itself, try to minimize opioids obviously, but I'd start with a stool softener. It won't make them go, but it will help them out when they do go. Then I might try a bisacodyl suppository, since it shouldn't give them diarrhea, it should just help things move along. After that, Miralax is probably a good idea, and it shouldn't cause blowouts unless they're getting a lot of it.

An enema would probably be my last choice, since that seems almost certain to cause a blowout in a kid.
 
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