Objective: Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage delays gastric emptying. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of gastrointestinal hemorrhage on small intestinal, ileocecal, and proximal colonic transit.
Methods: Healthy volunteers were randomized to receive either a duodenal infusion of heparinized autologous blood (n = 7) or egg white, acting as a control substance with similar composition; 1.5 mCi99mTc-DTPA was added to the infused substances. We infused 30 ml at an infusion rate of 1 ml/min. Gamma-camera images were taken for 4 h or until all radioactivity had entered the colon. Arrival of radiolabels in the colon and also counts in the ascending and transverse colon were quantified.
Results: Small intestinal and ileocecal transit were not significantly different between blood and egg white infusions. However, ascending colonic emptying was significantly faster after blood infusion compared to egg white. Four hours after the start of blood infusion a median of 30% of counts were in the transverse colon (11-50%; 25th-75th percentile) versus 0% (0-7%) after egg white infusion (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: We concluded that simulated upper gastrointestinal bleeding hastens proximal colonic transit, but does not alter small intestinal transit and colonic filling.