What to do if the stool is black

For those friends whose feces are black, they must be very worried and don’t know what to do. So what should you do if the stool is black? Next, this article will introduce you to what to do if the feces are black, for your reference only. Friends who want to know more about this aspect can continue reading! Please see the detailed introduction below.

Black stools are also called tarry stools, and the stools are black or brownish black. It is one of the most common symptoms of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. If the amount of bleeding is small and the bleeding rate is slow, the blood stays in the intestine for a longer time and the feces discharged is black; if the amount of bleeding is large and the bleeding time in the intestine is shorter, the discharged blood is dark red; if the amount of bleeding is particularly large and is discharged quickly, it may also be bright red.

What should I do if the stool is black? If upper gastrointestinal bleeding is diagnosed, the treatment is as follows:

1. General treatment

In case of heavy bleeding, the patient should lie flat with the lower limbs raised and the head turned to the side to avoid suffocation caused by blood reflux when vomiting large amounts of blood. Oxygen inhalation and fasting should be adopted if necessary. If there is a small amount of bleeding, the patient can take liquid food appropriately. Morphine and barbiturates should be avoided for patients with liver disease. Nursing should be strengthened, blood pressure, pulse, bleeding volume and hourly urine output should be recorded, intravenous access should be maintained, and central venous pressure measurement and electrocardiogram monitoring should be performed when necessary.

2. Replenish blood volume

When hemoglobin is lower than 70g/L and systolic blood pressure is lower than 90mmHg, sufficient whole blood should be transfused immediately. People with cirrhosis should receive fresh blood transfusions. Infusion should be started quickly, but the elderly and patients with heart failure should not receive too much or too fast transfusion, otherwise it may cause pulmonary edema. It is best to monitor central venous pressure. If blood supply is difficult, dextran or other plasma substitutes can be given.

3. Hemostasis measures

(1) Drug treatment: ① In recent years, the most effective drugs for peptic ulcer are proton pump inhibitor omeprazole, H2 receptor antagonists cimetidine or ranitidine, or ranitidine is also commonly used in primary hospitals. ② When esophageal and gastric fundus varicose veins rupture and bleed, posterior pituitary hormone is a commonly used drug, but its effect time is short, so it is recommended to use it in small doses. It is not suitable for people with hypertension, coronary heart disease or pregnant women.

(2) Three-chamber balloon tube compression hemostasis: suitable for esophageal and gastric fundus varicose vein rupture and bleeding.

(3) Stop bleeding under direct endoscopic vision.

(4) Vascular interventional technology: For patients with esophageal-gastric varicose vein bleeding who have failed to respond to vasopressin or three-chamber balloon tube compression therapy, transjugular portosystemic shunt (TIPS) combined with gastric coronary vein embolization can be used.

(5) Surgical treatment: After the above treatment, most upper gastrointestinal bleeding can be stopped. If it still doesn't work, surgical treatment can be considered.

The above is an introduction on what to do if the stool is black. I believe that after reading the above introduction, you already know what to do if the feces are black. From the above introduction, we can know that black stool is generally caused by upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Therefore, for friends who have this symptom, they must go to the hospital for treatment in time!