Treatment of Vomiting and Gut Motility Disorders Flashcards
Vomiting =
emesis
a defence response
What is vomiting controlled by?
- Central neural regulation of vomiting is controlled by 2 separate units both in the medulla:
- The Vomiting (emetic) centre
- The Chemoreceptor Trigger Zone (CTZ)
What is the vomiting centre and where is it located?
- Collection of multiple sensory, motor and control nuclei
- Mainly in the medullary and pontine reticular formation, also extending into spinal cord
Where does the vomiting centre recieve nerve impulses from?
Receive nerve impulses from both vagal and sympathetic afferent nerve fibres
What does the vomiting centre trigger?
Responses to the incoming signals to coordinate emesis
Where is the chemorecetor trigger zone located?
CTZ is in the area postrema in the flood of the 4th ventricle
What is the CTZ sensitive to?
sensitive to chemical stimuli and is the main site action of drugs which stimulate vomiting
What other type of sickness does the CTZ mediate?
mediation of motion sickness
What is motion sickness caused by?
Motion sickness is caused by certain kinds of movement and the origin of the stimuli is primarily the vestibular apparatus:
What are the major triggers of nausea/vomiting?
- Stimulation of the sensory nerve endings in the stomach and duodenum
- Stimulation of the vagal sensory endings in the pharynx
- Drugs or endogenous emetic substances
- Disturbances of the vestibular apparatus
- Various stimuli of the sensory nerves of the heart and viscera
- A rise in intracranial pressure
- Nauseating smells, repulsive sights, emotional factors
- Endocrine factors
- Migraine
Draw a flow chart showing how vomiting is triggered
What are the main stages of vomiting?
- nausea
- retching
- vomiting
What is nausea?
- Feeling of wanting to vomit
- Associated with autonomic effects: salivation/pallor/sweating
- Often pro-dome of vomiting
What is retching?
- Strong involuntary effort to vomit
- Unproductive
Describe the process of vomiting
Expulsion of gastric contents through the mouth
What is projective vomiting suggestive of?
suggestive of gastric outlet or upper GI obstruction e.g. pyloric stenosis
Describe haematemesis and what is likely to cause this?
vomiting fresh or altered blood (“coffee-grounds”)
E.g. oesophageal varices, bleeding gastric ulcer
What is likely to cause early morning sickness?
pregnancy, alcohol dependence, metabolic disorders (uraemic)
What are the potential indications for anti-emetic drugs?
- Severe vomiting during pregnancy/hyperemesis gravidarum
- Postoperative nausea and vomiting
- Motion sickness
- Other vestibular disorders
- N/V induced cytotoxic chemotherapy
- Palliative care
- N/V associated with migraine
What is the most important clinical concern assoicated with vomiting?
clinical dehydration
What are the main types of anti-emetics?
- Antihistamines (H1)
- Antimuscarinics (M1)
- Dopamine antagonists (D2)
- 5HT3 antagonists
- Neurokini1 receptor antagonists
- Synthetic cannabinoids (CB1)
- Steroids
- Other neuroleptics