Gallbladder and gastrointestinal motility after hemorrhagic shock

The alterations in fasting gallbladder and gastrointestinal motility during hemorrhagic shock were investigated. Eight opossums implanted with a gallbladder cannula, gastrointestinal bipolar electrodes, and a carotid catheter were subjected to hemorrhagic shock of 30 mm Hg for 60 minutes by the removal of arterial blood. Shed blood was reinfused after the shock period. Fasting gallbladder volume and gastrointestinal electrical activity were studied before, immediately after, and 24 hours after hemorrhagic shock. Control measurements demonstrated a slow-wave frequency maximal in the duodenum (18.1 +/- 1.1 waves/min), with a plateau in the proximal third of the small bowel, decreasing thereafter. The migrating motor complex (MMC) had a duration of 118 +/- 28 minutes. The average volume of the gallbladder before shock was 5.4 +/- 1.5 ml. Gallbladder volume fluctuated with the MMC, being maximal during phase I and minimal in phase III. The volume of blood removed to reduce mean arterial pressure to 30 mm Hg was 45 +/- 5 ml/kg. Immediately after the shock and blood reinfusion, slow-wave frequency decreased by 40% in the antrum and 25% in the small bowel. The MMC was of shorter duration (91 +/- 22 minutes; p less than 0.05), and gallbladder volume increased to 7.0 +/- 1.7 ml (p less than 0.05). Fluctuations in gallbladder volume during the MMC were absent. Twenty-four hours after shock, slow-wave frequency, MMC, and gallbladder volume had returned to normal and were not different from control measurements. Ischemic damage to the gastrointestinal tract is postulated as the cause of gallbladder dysfunction and altered intestinal motility after hemorrhagic shock.