Mechanical
- Obstruction or pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie’s)
- Ascites
- Caricinomatosis
Miscellaneous
- Pain: generalized or rectal
- Lack of privacy, awkward positioning (bedpan)
- Loss of normal bowel routine
- Lack of fluid intake
- Delirium
Opioid Induced Constipation
Multifactorial causality
- Opioid binds to gut and central nervous system receptors
- Decreased bowel fluid secretion and/or increased absorption
- Increased tone and non-propulsive activity - the gut is moving, just not in the normal coordinated manner