After eating dinner, a client asks for help to get to the bathroom bec

After eating dinner, a client asks for help to get to the bathroom because of an extreme urge to defecate. The nurse realizes that the client has experienced which physiological function of the colon?

1. Flatus
2. Mass peristalsis
3. Haustral churning
4. Peristalsis

ANSWER

Correct Answer: 2
Rationale 1: Flatus is largely air and the by-products of the digestion of carbohydrates.
Rationale 2: Mass peristalsis involves a wave of powerful muscular contraction that moves over large areas of the colon. Mass peristalsis most commonly occurs after eating, stimulated by the presence of food in the stomach and small intestine. In adults, mass peristaltic waves occur only a few times a day.
Rationale 3: Haustral churning involves movement of the chyme back and forth within the haustra. This action aids in the absorption of water and moves the contents forward to the next haustra.
Rationale 4: Peristalsis is wavelike movement produced by the circular and longitudinal muscle fibers of the intestinal walls; it propels the intestinal contents forward.