ABSTRACT
The intestine, an organ divided into the small and large bowel, is a long hollow cylinder lined with epithelial cells and smooth muscle layers. Enteric neurons, endocrine and paracrine agonists, regulate epithelia motor activity during digestive and postprandial phases, triggering uid movement through the lumen, thus providing nutrient, electrolyte, and uid absorptive and secretion functions. Uniquely, the small intestine lining is composed of villus-crypt organizations, which heighten the organ’s responsibly of nutrient absorption alone. The large intestine or colon lacks villi and therefore primarily provides uid and electrolyte absorptive and secretion function (Binder 2005). Intestinal failure (IF) is dened as a lack of functional gut mass, which limits digestion and absorption, leading to the inability to maintain protein-energy, uid, electrolyte, or micronutrient balance (Carlson and Dark 2010). The term IF, often used interchangeably with short bowel syndrome (SBS), encompasses several malabsorptive states or phases, temporary or permanent (Carlson and Dark 2010). Associated with poor prognosis and increased mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU), IF is dif-cult to evaluate due to the intestine’s depth inside the body habitus, immune and vascular complexity, and the critically ill patient’s inability to communicate gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (Piton et al. 2011). A prominent symptom of IF, diarrhea, which has been dened as stool weight exceeding 250 g/mL, may be used as a predictor of intestinal ischemia, particularly in patients experiencing GI symptoms post cardiac arrest (Harrell and Chang 2008, Piton et al. 2011, Wierdsma et al. 2011).
