Gastric electrical stimulation has an immediate antiemetic effect in patients with gastroparesis

Electrical stimulation has been successfully employed to treat diseases involving electro-pathology in the heart, skeletal muscles, and the brain, but not in the GI tract.

This study examined the clinical feasibility and efficacy of GES in treating patients with severe gastroparesis.

Nausea, vomiting, GEA, and liquid and solid gastric emptying were monitored in eleven patients with refractory gastroparesis at baseline and after one week of continuous electrical stimulation administered at 12 cycles/min. Eight patients were subsequently implanted with permanent stimulation devices. Follow-up studies were conducted after 1, 3, 6, and 12 mo. of stimulation.

After one week of stimulation, patients' quantified symptoms of nausea and vomiting decreased significantly, and liquid emptying and GEA improved. This improvement was maintained over time in the patients who continued to receive stimulation. Emptying of solids showed progressive improvement that became significant after 3 mo. The three patients who did not receive stimulation after the trial period showed significantly higher symptoms at 12 mo.

This paper demonstrates that GES at a frequency of 12 cycles/min has an immediate antiemetic effect, followed by an improvement in disordered gastric emptying.