Effects of body positions on gastric emptying with enteral nutrition: a crossover study using a continuous real time 13C breath test (BreathID system).
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between body positions and gastric emptying, using a novel non-invasive technique for measuring gastric emptying with a continuous real time 13C breath test (BreathID system).


METHODS
Ten healthy male volunteers participated in this randomized, two-way crossover study. On both occasions, the 13C breath test was performed for 4 hours using the BreathID system with a liquid meal (200 kcal per 200 mL) containing 100 mg 13C-acetic acid. Subjects were randomly assigned to sit comfortable (the sitting position) or to lie supine (the lying position).


RESULTS
In the lying position, T 1/2 and T lag were significantly delayed. The gastric emptying coefficient was also decreased in lying position.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that gastric emptying following a liquid meal was significantly delayed in the lying position compared to the sitting position, suggesting the potential use of these findings in the clinical setting for patients receiving enteral nutrition via the stomach.
Ikeda
Tamon
T
Gastroenterology Division, Yokohama City University Hospital, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.
Inamori
Masahiko
M
Fujisawa
Nobutaka
N
Iwasaki
Tomoyuki
T
Akiyama
Tomoyuki
T
Akimoto
Keiko
K
Mawatari
Hironori
H
Iida
Hiroshi
H
Endo
Hiroki
H
Nozaki
Yuichi
Y
Sakamoto
Yasunari
Y
Fujita
Koji
K
Takahashi
Hirokazu
H
Yoneda
Masato
M
Yoneda
Kyoko
K
Goto
Ayumu
A
Abe
Yasunobu
Y
Kirikoshi
Hiroyuki
H
Kobayashi
Noritoshi
N
Kubota
Kensuke
K
Saito
Satoru
S
Nakajima
Atsushi
A
D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture