[Experimental aspects of pathogenesis and prophylaxis of gastric stress ulcers (author's transl)]

The prophylactic efficacy of various treatments was examined in porcine haemorrhagic shock [13] by measuring total and regional gastric blood flow with radioactive Microspheres. All 24 animals of the control-group (no treatment) developed extensive haemorrhagic lesions of the stomach. Total gastric blood flow fell almost by 90% during shock. By methods improving the circulation during heamorrhagic shock, a nearly total prevention of gastric stress lesions was possible. After splanchnicectomy (n = 7) and by application of the H2-receptor antagonist Cimetidine (n = 8) total gastric blood flow during haemorrhagic shock fell only by 38% and 44%, respectively, when compared to control values before shock. Only 2 piglets of these both groups developed minor changes, whereas in all others no lesions were seen macroscopically or histologically. Conversely truncal vagotomy (n = 9), which impairs gastric blood flow, had no prophylactic effect on the occurence of gastric mucosal lesions, induced by haemorrhagic shock. -- This study supports the suggestion, that gastric ischaemia due to sympathetic overactivity especially in corpus and fundus of the stomach plays an important role in the pathogenesis of gastric stress lesions. An improvement of gastric blood flow during shock could become a useful treatment in man.