GI & Alimentary Disease p1 Flashcards
The four main function of a normal GI tract are…
- Digestion of ingredients
- Absorption of nutrients
- Move food thru GI tract
- Eliminate waste (undigested) or bi-products (bile acids, nitrogen)
Gastrointestinal tract (in order) (4)
- Mouth
- Stomach
- Intestines
- Colon
Mouth
1. Anatomy
2. Function in digestion
- Oropharynx connection of mouth to esophagus
- Digestion begins in the mouth!
- Grinding of food w/teeth
- Saliva contains amylase to digest starch in some species
Stomach
1. Anatomy
- Cardia & Pylorus:
2. Function in digestion
- Anatomy
- Cardia: region that attaches to esophagus.
- Pylorus: region that attaches to intestines. - Hydrochloric acid (HCl) further digests food
- Little absorption of nutrients here
Small intestine
1. Anatomy
2. How much digestion happens here?
- DJ Ileum!
- Duodenum, Jejunum, Ileum - Most digestion & absorption of nutrients here due to villi
Large intestine & Colon
- Absorption of water
- Empties into rectum
- Storage containers, no absorption here! - Material exits anus
Villi lines the ___ intestine to…
Lines the small intestine to maximize digestion and absorption by increasing surface area
Liver & biliary tree
1. Function
2. Role in GI tract (3)
- Function
- Functions are associated with the alimentary system - Role in GI
- Fat digestion & processing
- Nutrient storage: Fat soluble vitamins & copper/iron
- Detoxify blood from GI tract
Pancreas digestive function
Make digestive enzymes and transport to duodenum
T/F: Most chemicals of digestion are produced by the pancreas
True!
Enzymes produced by the pancreas (7)
These are the most common, there are more.
1. Amylase
2. Lipase
3. Elastase
4. Trypsin
5. Chymotrypsin
6. Carboxypeptidase
7. Phospholipase
Esophageal Disease
Clinical signs (5)
- Dysphagia - Difficulty swallowing
- Excessive salivation - “Ptalyism” This pairs w/dysphagia
- Regurgitation
- Anorexia
- Teeth grinding (cats) - Sign of pain, likely abdominal
Vomiting vs Regurgitation
Vomiting: From the stomach
Regurgitation: From the esophagus
Vomiting signs (5)
- Retching: “winding” up
- Bile tinged fluid
- Presence of digested food
- Event occurs independent of eating/drinking
- Nausea: Lip licking & Anorexia
Regurgitation (5)
- No retching
- Food or fluid “falls” out of mouth - Clear or foamy fluid
- Food not digested
- Event occurs shortly after eating or drinking (<20min)
- Event triggered by exercise or excitement
Esophagitis
1. Etiology
2. Supportive care
- Etiology:
- Gastric reflux or severe vomiting
- Caustic agent ingestion
- Foreign body ingestion - Supportive care:
- Do not induce vomiting if caustic agent!
- Sucralfate is drug of choice to treat mucosa
- Treat underlying problem ASAP
- Soft food: Liquid has low calorie content & may exacerbate reflux
Esophageal Foreign Body
1. Clinical signs
2. Etiology
3. Diagnosis
- Clinical signs:
- Hypersalivation
- Exaggerated swallowing efforts
- Anxious/painful
- Anorexia - Etiology:
- Foreign object swallowed but unable to advance to stomach - Diagnosis:
- Hx of foreign body
- Physical exam
- Rads/barium study
- Endoscopy
Esophageal Foreign body
Therapy (3)
- Endoscopic or Gastrotomy retrieval
- DVM makes every effort to avoid Sx on the esophagus due to high risk of stricture formation
- Strictures cause severe problems w/regurgitation & animal may starve! - Aggressive therapy w/sucralfate & other drugs to treat/prevent esophageal ulcers
- Sx or endoscopic placement of gastric feeding tube may be indicated
Megaesophagus is…
The development of a flaccid esophageal wall w/poor contractility. When visible on rads they may be greatly dilated w/air or food
Megaesophagus
1. Clinical signs
2. Etiology
3. Diagnosis
4. Supportive care
- Clinical signs
- Regurgitation
- Aspiration pneumonia
- Weight loss - Etiology
- Congenital, myasthenia, hypoadrenocorticism, severe esophagitis, neoplasia & idiopathic - Diagnosis
- Rads & barium study - Supportive care
- Tx primary cause
- Prevent aspiration pneumonia by hand feeding meatballs of food & maintain dog in upright position for at least 20min after meals
Gastritis
1. Clinical signs (3)
2. Etiology (3)
3. Supportive care (5)
- Clinical signs
- Vomiting, lip licking, anorexia - Etiology
- Dietary
- Infection
- Toxin
- Medication ( NSAIDS, etc) - Supportive care
- Support hydration
- NPO for 12hrs, no food 24hrs
- After, small meals w/bland diet
- Meds for symptoms
- Further eval if it doesn’t rapidly resolve
Gastric Ulceration
1. Clinical signs
2. Etiology
3. Supportive care
- Clinical signs
- Vomiting fresh/digested blood (“coffee grounds”)
- Anorexia
- Lip licking - Etiology
- NSAID meds, caustic agents, neoplasia, foreign body, Helicobacter - Supportive care
- Histamine blockers
- Comfort meds
- Tx primary cause
Gastric Dilation Volvulus (GDV)
1. Clinical signs
2. Etiology
- Clinical signs
- Weakness/collapse
- Restless/anxious
- Enalrged “bloated” abdomen
- Large breed dog (deep chested)
- “Dry vomiting” - Etiology
- Exercise after large meal is most common trigger (esp deep chested dogs).
- The volvulus of the stomach results in obstruction of the blood supply to the stomach (sometimes spleen).
- The tissue necrosis releases vast amount of toxins.
- Death is combo of shock, enterotoxins, heart arrhythmias & bleeding disorders
Gastric Dilation Volvulus (GDV)
1. Dx
2. Supportive care
- Dx
- Right lateral radiograph - Supportive care
- Shock dose of fluids
- Immediate decompression of stomach
- Pain meds
- Anti-arrhythmia drugs (patient usually develops arrhythmias post op)
- Sx correction when patient stabilized
- Other additional care as needed