Short bowel syndrome

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

Patients with a shortened bowel due to large surgical resection.
Malabsorption can occur after this.

Question 2

What can it cause?

Answer 2

• Malabsorption
• Inadequate digestion
• Incomplete absorption

Question 3

Malabsorption

Answer 3

Deficiency of vitamins:
- A, B12, D, E & K
- Essential fatty acids
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Hypomagnesaemia

GIVE SUPPLEMENTS

Question 4

Inadequate digestion

Answer 4

Diarrhoea

GIVE LOPERAMIDE

Question 5

Incomplete drug absorption

Answer 5

Give higher doses for oral contraceptives, warfarin + digoxin.
- E/C and M/R formulations are not suitable
- Uncoated tablets + soluble tablets are okay.
- Liquid formulations MAY be okay