Use of wireless motility capsule to determine gastric emptying and small intestinal transit times in critically ill trauma patients.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to use a novel wireless motility capsule to compare gastric emptying and small bowel transit times in critically ill trauma patients and healthy volunteers.


METHODS
We evaluated gastric emptying, small bowel transit time, and total intestinal transit time in 8 critically ill trauma patients. These data were compared with those obtained in 87 healthy volunteers from a separate trial. Data were obtained with a motility capsule that wirelessly transmitted pH, pressure, and temperature to a recorder attached to each subject's abdomen.


RESULTS
The gastric emptying time was significantly longer in critically ill patients (median, 13.9; interquartile range [IQR], 6.6-48.3 hours) than in healthy volunteers (median, 3.0; IQR, 2.5-3.9 hours), P < .001. The small bowel transit time in critically ill patients was significantly longer than in healthy volunteers (median, 6.7 hours; IQR, 4.4-8.5 hours vs median, 3.8 hours; IQR, 3.1-4.7 hours), P = .01. Furthermore, the capsules passed after 10 (IQR, 8.5-13) days in the critical care group and 1.2 (IQR, 0.9-1.9) days in healthy volunteers (P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
Both gastric emptying and small bowel transit were delayed in critically ill trauma patients.
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Würzburg, Germany. rauch_s@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
Stefan
S
Rauch
Kristine
K
Krueger
Alparslan
A
Turan
Jing
J
You
Norbert
N
Roewer
Daniel I
DI
Sessler
D018806:APACHE; D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D053704:Capsule Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000502:physiology*; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit / Q000502:physiology*; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*