Vomiting

Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of gastric or intestinal contents through the mouth. It is not a diagnosis; it is a symptom that can reflect a mild self-limited illness, a medication effect, pregnancy, increased intracranial pressure, bowel obstruction, sepsis, diabetic ketoacidosis, toxic ingestion, or another urgent condition. RN care focuses on rapid assessment, hydration status, aspiration prevention, electrolyte monitoring, infection control, and early escalation when red flags are present. Vomiting becomes clinically significant when it is persistent, associated with dehydration, accompanied by blood or bile, linked with abdominal rigidity or neurologic changes, or occurring in high-risk patients such as infants, older adults, pregnant patients, immunocompromised patients, or patients with cardiac, renal, or endocrine disease. Adult patients with severe vomiting, vomiting lasting more than one day, or signs of dehydration generally require laboratory assessment such as electrolytes, renal function, glucose, urinalysis, and sometimes liver tests. Females of childbearing age should be assessed for pregnancy.