title: Gastrointestinal motility in acute illness.
abstract: Critical illness affects gastrointestinal motility - not only as a primary problem, which brings the patient to the intensive care unit (ICU), but also as a complication consecutive to the ICU stay. Motility disturbances may result from impaired function of gastrointestinal muscle, pacemaker cell function and nerve activity. The most important neural control system is the enteric nervous system that contains the largest collection of neurons (10(8) cells) outside the central nervous system. Through its organization it can operate independently of the brain and generate motility patterns according to need: a postprandial motility pattern starting after food intake, and an interdigestive motility pattern starting several hours after a meal. Undisturbed intestinal motility depends critically on a balanced interaction between inhibition and excitation, and a disturbance in this balance leads to severe derangements of intestinal motility. These motility disturbances differ in clinical appearance and location but can affect all parts of the gastrointestinal tract. This review focuses on select motility disturbances such as gastroparesis, postoperative ileus, and Ogilvie's syndrome. Generally effective methods to treat these conditions are given. Finally, we focus on special management options to prevent such motility disturbances or to reduce their severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. sonja.fruhwald@meduni-graz.at
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fruhwald
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holzer
authors.forename: Helfried
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Metzler
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003112:Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D016638:Critical Illness; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D018589:Gastroparesis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D045823:Ileus / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D016065:Myoelectric Complex, Migrating / Q000502:physiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents