GI Dysmotility in CC. Whitehead. 2016. JVECC Flashcards
What are established risk factors for GIDM in critically ill people:
- mechanical ventilation
- sepsis, shock, trauma, systemic inflammatory response syndrome [SIRS], and multiple organ failure
Name substances that excite the motor neurons in the GI wall:
- acetylcholine (Ach),
- tachykinins (particularly substance P and neurokinin A)
- serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT])
Name substances that inhibit the motor neurons in the GI wall:
- vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP),
- somatostatin
- nitric oxide (NO)
- gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)
What is the primary neurotransmitter of the GI tract promoting GI motility and what nerves supply it?
- Acetylcholine (Ach)
- Parasympathetic innervation mainly via the vagus and pelvic nerves + other preganglionic parasympathetic fibers (including ENS)
What is the primary neurotransmitter of the GI tract inhibiting GI motility and where does it work?
- Norepinephrine
- acts indirectly on neurons of the enteric system (ENS) and directly on muscles and glands
Explain the interdigestive motility complex. What is its function, how is it generated and regulated?
- Alternate form of motility clearing indigestible materials (“housekeeping” function)
- Involves the migrating motor complex (MMC) in dogs: pyloric relaxation, strong antral wave of peristalsis, moves indigestible material into the duodenum
- MMCs are regulated by the enteric nervous system (ENS) and modulated directly by regulatory peptides including somatostatin, motilin, and pancreatic polypeptide.
- MMCs occur at a rate of 15 to 20 per minute
- Ingestion of a meal will interrupt the interdigestive motility and digestive motility pattern starts
What is the difference between canine and feline interdigestive motility?
- Interdigestive motility in dogs involves the migrating motor complex (MMC) and giant migrating complexes in cats
How do the muscle fibers differ between the feline and canine esophagus?
- Canine esophagus is entirely made of striated muscle fibers
- Feline esophagus has a distal portion of smooth muscle fibers
How are the different muscle fibers regulated?
- Striated muscles of the esophagus are regulated through the vagus nerve
- Smooth muscle fibers are innervated through the ENS, and indirectly through the autonomic nervous system
What substances have been shown to affect esophageal motility?
- NO
- Somatostatin
- Motilin
Explain adaptive and receptive relaxation of the stomach
Receptive relaxation
- induced by chewing and swallowing
- regulated through a vago-vagal reflex
Adaptive relaxation
- relaxation of muscles when food enters the stomach
- inhibitory vagal fibers à Ach release à activation of inhibitory enteric pathways à release of NO, VIP, ATP à muscle relaxation
What are the steps of gastric emptying?
- Relaxation of the fundal portion of the stomach
- Antral Peristalsis
- Opening of the pyloric diameter
- Relaxation of the duodenum
- Contraction of the duodenum
Describe the enterogastric reflex. What is it stimulated by?
- Inhibits further gastric emptying into the duodenum when the duodenum is “full”
- inhibits the vagal nuclei of the medulla and local reflexes while activating sympathetic fibers à cause the pyloric sphincter to tighten, delaying gastric emptying.
- activated by a low pH, high osmolality, and the presence of high lipid content. (+ distention of the duodenum?)
What are the 5 main contractile patterns of the small intestines?
- peristaltic waves
- stationary segmenting contractions
- giant contractions (aboral)
- stationary or migrating clusters of contractions
- MMCs
What is the average small intestinal transit times in dogs versus cats?
- 3-5 hours in dogs
- 2-3 hours in cats
What are the types of colonic contraction?
- short duration phasic contractions amidst a background state of persistent colonic tone.
How does mechanical ventilation affect esophageal motility?
- Shown to reduce the frequency, amplitude, and percentage of propulsive contractions of the esophagus
- Gastroesophageal reflux from relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter
- Inhibition of esophageal motor activity from medications such as benzodiazepines, opioids, ketamine
The pathophysiology of delayed gastric emptying in critically ill animals and people is not fully understood. Describe the two most important theories?
“pump failure”
- Primary motor dysfunction
- Decreased antral motility and display of the fasting motility pattern during feeding.
“excessive feedback” theory
- disproportionate activation of an inhibitory feedback pathway originating in the proximal small intestine or duodenum
- based on the nutrient release of neuroendocrine peptides such as cholecystokinin (CCK) and 5-HT (via 5-HT3 receptors), which subsequently inhibit vagal and spinal afferent neurons and result in delayed gastric emptying
GI inflammation is an implicated cause for functional ileus of the small intestines. What is the presumed pathophysiology?
- During GI inflammation, leukocytes (particularly neutrophils) à releasing proteolytic enzymes and cytokines à damage the muscle layer of the GI tract directly
- inflammatory mediators à release of NO à paralysis of the muscular cells à propagation of intestinal dilation.
Explain how migrating motor complex disturbances may lead to bacterial overgrowth and translocation
- people: increase in quiescent period (phase I), decrease in intermittent contractions (phase II), increase in high amplitude regular contractions (phase III) but these are retrograde
- reduce expelling of the luminal contents, including bacteria and food particles, into the colon
Is megacolon in cats associated with critical illness?
Not usually, megacolon is considered an end-stage condition of a chronic disease process rather than an acute critical illness
What is Ogilvie’s syndrome?
- affiliated with an autonomic imbalance, an impaired pelvic parasympathetic innervation, and a predominance of inhibitory sympathetic tone.
- acute colonic pseudo-obstruction
- has been associated with gut ischemia, systemic or local inflammation, and sepsis.
What conditions have been shown to secondarily cause GIDM?
- Acute stress (e.g., noise stress, TBI)
- Inflammation of the viscera (e.g., pancreatitis, mesenteritis, peritonitis)
- Electrolyte derangements (hypokalemia, hypermagnesemia, and hyper- or hypocalcemia)
- Metabolic disturbances (e.g., acidosis, hypoadrenocorticism, hepatic encephalopathy, uremia)
- Drugs (opioids, dopamine, alpha-2-adrenergic agonist)
- diabetic gastro-neuropathy
- splanchnic hypoperfusion
- hypoxemia
- obesity
- SIRS or sepsis
- Neoplasia
How do opioids lead to GIDM?
- have been shown to inhibit GI transit by reducing Ach release and altering neuronal excitability (Ach main neurotransmitter for GI motility!)
- may also increase smooth muscle activity → BUT inhibit coordinated propulsive peristalsis à disordered nonpropulsive contractile activity
Explain the pathophysiology of GIDM in diabetes mellitus.
may include diabetes-associated neuropathy, hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic effects on GI motor function, and insulin’s effect on GI motility
- autonomic neuropathies and vagal nerve dysfunction
- Hyperglycemia has been shown to reduce gastric antral contractions, suppress interdigestive phase III activity, and impair gall bladder emptying
Name 3 mediators shown to cause GIDM in patients with MODS and sepsis
- Tumor necrosis factor
- VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide)
- NO