Evaluation of gastric emptying in critically ill patients using electrical impedance method: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Gastroenterology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Nasogastric feeding is vital for critically ill patients.
• Current methods for assessing gastric residual volume have limitations.
• Accurate gastric emptying measurement is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of the Electric Impedance Method (EIM) for measuring gastric emptying time.
• To compare EIM with nasogastric suction for assessing gastric residual volume.
• To explore EIM's potential as a standard monitoring tool.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study conducted in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Bangladesh.
• Enteral feeding administered via nasogastric (NG) tube.
• Gastric emptying and residual volume measured using EIM and nasogastric suction.

Main Results:

• EIM demonstrated high specificity (90%) and efficacy (80%) in measuring gastric volume.
• Gastric emptying time correlated well with gastric residual volume in 16 patients.
• Significant changes in gastric emptying time were observed based on body status.

Conclusions:

• EIM is a non-invasive and hazard-free method for measuring gastric volume.
• EIM shows capability in monitoring gastric emptying over time.
• EIM could become a standard tool for patients at risk of gastroparesis.