An enema, also known as a clyster, is an injection of fluid into the lower bowel by way of the rectum.[1] The word enema can also refer to the liquid injected,[2][3] as well as to a device for administering such an injection.[4]
In standard medicine, the most frequent uses of enemas are to relieve constipation and for bowel cleansing before a medical examination or procedure;[5] also, they are employed as a lower gastrointestinal series (also called a barium enema),[6] to treat traveler's diarrhea,[7] as a vehicle for the administration of food, water or medicine, as a stimulant to the general system, as a local application and, more rarely, as a means of reducing body temperature,[1] as treatment for encopresis, and as a form of rehydration therapy (proctoclysis) in patients for whom intravenous therapy is not applicable.[8]
- ^ a b Cullingworth, A Manual of Nursing, Medical and Surgical:155
- ^ "enema noun". Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Enema". The Free Dictionary. TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "enema". Dictionary.com. sAsk.com. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Soapsuds enema". Biology-Online Dictionary. Biology-Online. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ MedlinePlus Encyclopedia: Barium enema
- ^ Krokowicz, L.; MacKiewicz, J.; Wejman-Matela, A.; Krokowicz, P.; Drews, M.; Banasiewicz, T. (19 October 2014). "Management of traveller's diarrhoea with a combination of sodium butyrate, organic acids, and A-300 silicon dioxide". Przeglad Gastroenterologiczny. 9 (5). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH): 285–290. doi:10.5114/pg.2014.46164. PMC 4223117. PMID 25396003.
- ^ Bruera, E; Pruvost, M; Schoeller, T; Montegjo, G; Watanabe, S (April 1998). "Proctoclysis for Hydration of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients". Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 15 (4): 216–9. doi:10.1016/S0885-3924(97)00367-9. PMID 9601155.