Gastroduodenal motility in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients

Abstract

Gastroduodenal motility is severely impaired in this group of mechanically ventilated patients. Activity fronts of the migrating motor complex never originated in the stomach, which was hypokinetic; qualitative disorders of the migrating motor complex were present in the duodenum. The loss of peristaltic activity in the stomach and, to a lesser degree, in the duodenum is consistent with an important role for motility disorders in the occurrence of digestive microbial overgrowth in such patients.