[Relationship between location of stress erosive gastritis and brain damage in resuscitated patients]

Patients after resuscitation from cardiopulmonary arrest often show stress erosive gastritis. This study investigated the relationship between the location of gastric mucosal injury and the degree of brain damage. Forty-five resuscitated patients with gastrointestinal bleeding complications were enrolled and were examined by esophagogastric fiberscope after 72 hours of hospitalization. Their brainstem and cerebral functions were evaluated brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) and electrical encephalogram (EEG), respectively. Thirty patients showed complications with acute gastric lesions. Ten patients had gastric mucosal injury in the antrum and they all showed a good response for BAEP (I, III and V waves were positive). In contrast, patients without antral gastric mucosal lesions showed poor response for ABR (defect of III and V waves) and EGG (Hockerday Grade III or IV). These results indicate that fair brainstem function is necessary for stress erosive gastritis in gastric antrum.