Gastrointestinal Myoelectrical Activity during the Postoperative Period in Man

Abstract

Myoelectrical activity of the gastrointestinal tract has been studied in the postoperative period of 13 patients who underwent cholecystectomy. The recordings have been performed by means of extracellular electrodes which were implanted at the levels of stomach, jejunum, ileum and colon during the surgical procedure. The records showed that fast activity is always persistent while the basic electrical rhythm is greatly disorganized during the immediate postoperative period. Such a characteristic pattern of the electrical activity suggested that the lack of peristaltic and propulsive movements, always noted during this period, is not correlated with a disappearance of gastrointestinal contractions, but only with a disturbance in their coordination.

Two-Channel Gastric Electrical Stimulation Accelerates Delayed Gastric Emptying Induced by Vasopressin

“…and postsurgery (15) or after bone marrow or stem cell transplant (16). In these circumstances, the frequency of the gastric slow wave becomes either abnormally high (tachygastria), abnormally low (bradygastria), or arrhythmic, and patients with these conditions, such as gastroparesis, are often characterized by delayed emptying of the stomach, and/or nausea and vomiting.…”

Propulsion and Mixing of Small Bowel Contents after Laparotomy in Rat

“…Further support of this view is given by Dauchel et al [2] who re ported persistence of the fast electrical activity of the small bowel in the whole postoperative period after cholecystectomy in man. However, if at laparotomy the small bowel is rubbed [11], the intestinal transit of plastic spheres is greatly retarded.…”

Gastrointestinal Complications of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

“…Other studies show continued but uncoordinated contractions (Dauchel et al, 1976). The jejunum has been shown to be the main area of small bowel affected by a change in the pattern of bowel contractility following AAA repair (Miedema et al, 2002).…”