Failure of experimental acute intra-gastric gas and fluid accumulation to produce gastric dilatation-volvulus in unanaesthetized dogs

Abstract

The stomachs of 6 mongrel dogs were cannulated with a simple assemblage of cannula and sphygmomanometer for direct and rapid administration of gas and combination of gas and fluid, respectively, to investigate the role of intra-gastric accumulation of gas and fluid in the stomach in development of acute gastric dilatation-volvulus in the animals. In all the experiments, the stomach of each dog was fully distended at a consistent intra-gastric pressure of 31.73 ± 0.43 mmHg. The mean
intra-gastric pressure of the empty stomach in fasted unanaesthetized animals was 4.17 ± 0.63 mmHg, while in animals that received 500 ml of water, the mean intra-gastric pressure was 14.2 ± 2.4 mmHg. The animals successfully evacuated the distended stomach at the peak of the intra-gastric pressure by eructation and/or vomition in 1.31 ± 0.43 min. There were no clinical and radiological evidence of the classical acute gastric dilatation-volvulus syndrome in any of the animals. The experiments failed to show that rapid accumulation of gas and fluid in the stomach primarily caused the condition in the clinically normal animals. There was apparent intra-gastric pressure threshold at which the cardiac orifice of the stomach of the animals opened for evacuation. The assemblage was functionally efficient for direct and rapid administration of gas and fluid into the stomach and simultaneous measurement of intra-gastric pressure in unanaesthetized dogs.