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•    Most obstructions occur in the small bowel.
•    Most large bowel obstructions are caused by cancer.
•    Onset of cirrhosis is insidious with symptoms such as anorexia, weight loss, malaise, altered bowel habits, nausea and vomiting.
•    Management of cirrhosis is directed towards avoiding complications. This is achieved by maintaining fluid, electrolyte and nutritional balance.
•    A client with esophageal varices must be monitored for bleeding (e.g., melena stools, hematemesis, and tachycardia.)
•    The rupture of esophageal varices is life threatening and associated with a high mortality rate.
•    Pancreatitis is often associated with excessive alcohol ingestion.
•    Pancreatic cancer is an insidious disease that often goes undetected until its later stages.
•    Diverticula are most common in the sigmoid colon.
•    Clients with diverticulosis are often asymptomatic.
•    A deficiency in dietary fiber is associated with diverticulitis.
•    Colostomies: an ascending colostomy drains liquid feces, is difficult to train and requires daily irrigation; a descending colostomy drains solid feces and can be controlled.
•    Frequent liquid stools can be indicative of a fecal impaction or intestinal obstruction.
•    Bowel sounds tend to be hyperactive in the early phases of an intestinal obstruction.