Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026

A Preclinical Model of Exertional Heat Stroke in Mice
Published on: July 1, 2021
[Correlation between gastrointestinal dysfunction and both severity and prognosis in patients suffering from
Lihui Miao1, Qing Song, Hui Liu
1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China. Corresponding author: Song Qing,
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between gastrointestinal dysfunction and both severity and prognosis in patients with heatstroke ( HS ).
Methods:
A retrospective analysis was conducted. Clinical data from 39 patients with HS seeking for treatment in Department of Critical Care Medicine of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2013 to September 2014 were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups: gastrointestinal dysfunction group and non-gastrointestinal dysfunction group. The acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II ( APACHEII) score within 24 hours of admission and 28-day mortality were compared between two groups. In gastrointestinal dysfunction group, the gastrointestinal dysfunction score, the duration days of gastrointestinal dysfunction, the length of intensive care unit ( ICU ) stay, and the duration of mechanical ventilation were collected. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between gastrointestinal function and the severity of the ailment as well as the prognosis.
Results:
Among 39 patients with HS, 32 of them showed gastrointestinal dysfunction with an incidence of 82.05%. In gastrointestinal dysfunction group, the gastrointestinal dysfunction score was 2.3±0.8, the duration of gastrointestinal dysfunction was ( 17.3±15.2 ) days, the length of ICU stay was ( 37.8±25.0 ) days, and the duration of mechanical ventilation was ( 27.8±14.0 ) days. APACHEII score in gastrointestinal dysfunction group was significantly higher than that of the non-gastrointestinal dysfunction group ( 26.30±6.00 vs. 17.40±6.00, t = 3.555, P = 0.001 ). The 28-day mortality in gastrointestinal dysfunction group was slightly higher than that of the non-gastrointestinal dysfunction group without statistically significant difference [ 43.75% ( 14/32 ) vs. 14.29% ( 1/7 ), P = 0.216 ]. It was shown by Pearson analysis that gastrointestinal dysfunction score was positively correlated with APACHEII score ( r = 0.727, P = 0.000 ), and the duration of gastrointestinal dysfunction was positively correlated with the length of ICU stay ( r = 0.797, P = 0.000 ) and the duration of mechanical ventilation ( r = 0.634, P = 0.000 ).
Conclusions:
The results suggest that gastrointestinal function in patients with HS reflects the severity and prognosis of the ailment.
Related Concept Videos
Assessment of the Gastrointestinal System I: Subjective Data
Health History
The initial step in assessing the GI system is obtaining a comprehensive health history. This includes inquiring about the patient's history or presence of problems...
Assessment of the Gastrointestinal System II: Health Perception Pattern
Health Perception Patterns
Health perception patterns offer valuable insights into a patient's lifestyle habits and how they may impact their GI health. These patterns include:
Gastritis III: Clinical Manifestations and Management
Clinical manifestations of acute gastritis
The patient with acute gastritis may have a rapid onset of symptoms, such as epigastric pain or discomfort, dyspepsia, anorexia, hiccups, or nausea and vomiting, which can last from a few hours to a few days. Erosive or hemorrhagic gastritis may cause bleeding, which may manifest as blood in vomit or as...
Gastritis-II: Pathophysiology
In acute gastritis, the gastric mucosa becomes swollen and red and undergoes superficial erosion. Superficial ulceration may lead to bleeding.
In chronic gastritis, persistent or repeated insults lead to chronic inflammatory changes and, eventually, thinning or atrophy of the gastric tissue.
Gastritis can stem from various causes, each...
Methods of reducing fever
Pharmacological Methods of Reducing Fever:
Other Disorders of Digestive System

