Management of patients with a short bowel
摘要
There are two common types of adult patient with a short bowel, those with jejunum in continuity with a functioning colon and those with a jejunostomy. Both groups have potential problems of undemutrition, but this is a greater problem in those without a colon, as they do not derive energy from anaerobic bacterial fermentation of carbohydrate to short chain fatty acids in the colon. Patients with a jejunostomy have major problems of dehydration,sodium and magnesium depletion all due to a large volume of stomal output. Both types of patient have lost at least 60cm of terminal ileum and so will become deficient of vitamin B12. Both groups have a high prevalence of gallstones (45%) resulting from periods of biliary stasis. Patients with a retained colon have a 25% chance of developing calcium oxalats renal atones and they may have problems with D (-)lactic acidosis. The survival of patients with a short bowel,even if they need long-term parenteral nutrition, is good.