title: Impacts and patterns of disturbed gastrointestinal function in critically ill patients.
abstract: Disordered upper gastrointestinal tract motility occurs frequently in intensive care unit patients and often represents a substantial treatment challenge. In addition to specific complications such as pulmonary aspiration and diarrhea, abnormal gastrointestinal motility is a limiting factor for delivery and success of enteral nutrition. The pathophysiologies involved are incompletely understood because of the difficulties of making measurements of gastrointestinal function in critically ill patients. With the recent development of techniques that overcome some of these difficulties, the prospects are brighter for significant advances in this field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ritz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dent
mesh_terms: D016638:Critical Illness; D004064:Digestive System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007408:Intestinal Absorption
chemical_list: D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents