The effects of thermal injury on gastrointestinal motor activity in the rat

Gastrointestinal motor function was studied in conscious rats. The gastric emptying time, small intestinal motility and the colonic transit time were measured. A burn injury, covering about 15 per cent of the body surface area was applied to experimental animals; control animals received a mock burn. Burn injury caused a marked inhibition of gastrointestinal motility. This inhibition was significantly improved by a continuous saline infusion, but saline infusion alone had no effect on the gastrointestinal propulsive motility of normal rats.