Gastrointestinal hormones and short-term nutritional schedules in critically ill patients.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the gastrointestinal hormone response in critically ill patients under different nutritional schedule (enteral vs. total parenteral) of short duration.


METHODS
Twenty-one sedated and mechanically ventilated patients were nourished with continuous nasogastric schedule (Group A, 11 patients), or with total parenteral nutrition (Group B, 10 patients). Serum concentrations of gastrin, cholecystokinin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, neurotensin, and bombesin, were measured on the 2nd, 3rd and the 5th day of patients' admission, with radioimmunoassay methods.


RESULTS
Changes of hormones concentrations were not significant either between the three measurements in each group or between the two groups at the same hospitalization day.


CONCLUSIONS
The short-term parenteral nutrition in critically ill patients does not exert a different influence on the serum concentrations of gastrin, cholecystokinin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, neurotensin, and bombesin, compared to enteral nutrition. This conclusion is of clinical interest since the short-term administration of total parenteral nutrition is very often necessary during hospitalization in the intensive care unit.
Intensive Care Unit, Red Cross Hospital, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
C
C
Mandragos
M
M
Moukas
A
A
Amygdalou
K
K
Schulpis
Y A
YA
Dalavanga
P K
PK
Behrakis
M P
MP
Vassiliou
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001839:Bombesin / Q000097:blood; D002766:Cholecystokinin / Q000097:blood; D016638:Critical Illness; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005260:Female; D005755:Gastrins / Q000097:blood; D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009496:Neurotensin / Q000097:blood; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000097:blood
D005755:Gastrins; D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D009496:Neurotensin; D002766:Cholecystokinin; D001839:Bombesin