• Alparslan Turan, Daniel I Sessler, Norbert Roewer, Stefan Rauch, and Kristine Krueger.
• Department of Anesthesiology, University of Würzburg, Germany. rauch_s@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
• J Crit Care. 2012 Oct 1;27(5):534.e7-12.

PurposeThe 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.Materials And MethodsWe 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.ResultsThe 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).ConclusionsBoth gastric emptying and small bowel transit were delayed in critically ill trauma patients.Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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