For a 2-day-old infant with suspected Hirschsprung disease, which findings should the nurse anticipate?

In the case of Hirschsprung disease, which is characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in the colon leading to a lack of peristalsis, the most anticipated findings would involve bowel function and symptoms related to intestinal obstruction.

The typical presentation of infants with suspected Hirschsprung disease includes failure to pass meconium within the first 48 hours after birth, which is critical for diagnosis. A distended abdomen is also a common symptom due to the accumulation of stool and buildup of gas, leading to bowel obstruction. These signs relate directly to the disease's effects on the colon.

Bright red bleeding from the anus is not a characteristic finding of Hirschsprung disease and would typically suggest another condition such as anal fissure or necrotizing enterocolitis. Nonbilious vomiting can also be seen in various gastrointestinal issues, but it is not a definitive symptom of Hirschsprung disease and is more associated with conditions such as pyloric stenosis.

Given these considerations, the symptom that is most indicative of Hirschsprung disease in an infant who is two days old and showing signs of intestinal obstruction is the failure to pass stool, correlating with the expected absence of bowel movement due to the lack of innervation in the affected segment of the