What it means
Used in several ways. Impacted stool (fecal impaction) is a hard mass stuck in the rectum. An impacted fracture is one where the broken ends are driven into each other. An impacted tooth cannot come through the gum, and impacted earwax blocks the ear canal.
For the nurse
Liquid stool seeping around a blockage can be mistaken for diarrhea in a client with fecal impaction. Report it, and follow the facility's policy for removing stool by hand, which can slow the heart rate.
At a glance
| Spanish | impactado |
|---|
Related terms
constipation
Bowel movements that happen less often than usual, with hard, dry stool that is difficult to pass.
rectum
The last part of the large intestine, between the colon and the anus, where stool is held until it leaves the body.