A Harris flush is a type of
enema
An enema, also known as a clyster, is an injection of fluid into the lower bowel by way of the rectum.Cullingworth, ''A Manual of Nursing, Medical and Surgical'':155 The word enema can also refer to the liquid injected, as well as to a device ...
aimed to evacuate painful
flatus
Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...
from a patient who has undergone abdominal
surgery
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
. It differs from a standard enema in that it is intended to alleviate flatus, while the purpose of standard enemas is to principally remove stool.
A Harris Flush kit is required. A sterile tube is inserted into the
rectum
The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the Gastrointestinal tract, gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the s ...
and sterile water is flushed upward into the
colon and then aspirated through the same tube. The excess gas is removed via the aspirated water. The procedure relies on gravity to accomplish its goal with the nurse slowly raising, then lowering, the enema bag while it remains connected to the hose, while nozzle remains in the patient's rectum. The procedure is repeated several times.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris Flush
Medical treatments