To eat or not to eat

This study represents peer-reviewed evidence supporting use of a biosensor, a device born and bred out of UCLA multidisciplinary research.” The study appears in the early online edition of the peer-reviewed Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. In this study, the biosensor was used to listen to sounds emanating from the intestines and was connected to a computer that measured the rate of acoustic events — movement of the intestines — as they occurred. The research team compared intestinal rates of healthy subjects using the device for 60 minutes after a standardized meal to rates recorded in two post-operative groups, patients who were tolerating food and those that had post-operative ileus. Using the biosensor, Spiegel and his team could distinguish patients with post-operative ileus from patients who did not suffer from the condition by the sounds made by their intestines. In the future, doctors may use the biosensor to determine which patients can be fed, making an evidence-based decision instead of just guessing based on less specific information, Spiegel said. Spiegel hopes to be able to determine if the biosensor can be used to identify patients at risk for post-operative ileus to help doctors make post-operative feeding decisions. “After surgery, the bowels shut down under stress as the body is focused on keeping the brain, heart and lungs alive,” Spiegel said. “We also give patients narcotic medications for pain that can also cause the bowels to freeze up...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news