After Intussusception: How to Care for Your Child

Intussusception happens when part of the bowel slides into another part of the bowel like the parts of a telescope. This can cause a blockage that may lead to swelling and low blood flow to the bowel. It needs quick treatment, or the bowel can be damaged. The doctor used a kind of enema to treat the intussusception. A small tube was placed in your child's bottom and taped in place. The doctor then filled the bowel with air or liquid and pushed the "telescoped bowel" back into place, which fixed the intussusception.

• Eating and drinking:

  • If your child was able to drink before leaving the hospital, slowly increase the amount.

  • If your child usually eats solid foods, make sure he or she holds down liquids first. Then offer solid foods that are low in fat and easy to digest (such as toast, crackers, and cereal) and slowly go back to your child's regular diet.

• Give your child any medicines as instructed by the doctor.

• Let your child rest as needed.

• Over the next 24 hours, watch your child for unusual sleepiness, or crankiness 

• Your child needs to see his or her regular doctor in 1–2 days. Call as soon as possible to schedule this appointment.

Your child:

• isn't drinking

• develops a fever

• has belly pain

Your child:

• has severe belly pain 

• has cramping that comes and goes

• has bleeding from the rectum (bottom)

• seems weak or sluggish

• vomits or cannot keep liquids down

• appears dehydrated; signs include a dry mouth, few or no tears when crying, more than 4–6 hours without a wet diaper, sunken eyes or soft spot on the head

Can intussusception happen again? Yes. Sometimes intussusception can return after being treated, but this doesn't happen often. If it happens, it is usually within 72 hours of the procedure. After the enema, the health care team watched your child and did not see any signs of the intussusception happening again.

What causes intussusception? Most of the time, doctors don't know what causes intussusception. In some cases, it might follow gastroenteritis (the "stomach flu"). Bacterial or viral gastrointestinal infections may cause swelling of the lining of the intestines, which can result in one part of the intestine being pulled into the other.

In kids younger than 3 months of age or older than 5 years, intussusception more likely is caused by an underlying condition like swollen lymph nodes, a tumor, or a blood vessel problem in the intestines.

Should a child get the rotavirus vaccine after having intussusception? No. In the past, some cases of intussusception were linked to a rotavirus vaccine that is no longer used. The new rotavirus vaccines are safe. But as an extra precaution, a child who has had intussusception should not receive any doses of rotavirus vaccine.