• Silvia De Rosa, Denise Battaglini, Juan Antonio Llompart-Pou, and Daniel Agustin Godoy.
• Centre for Medical Sciences - CISMed, University of Trento, Via S. Maria Maddalena 1, 38122, Trento, Italy.
• J Clin Monit Comput. 2024 Apr 1; 38 (2): 355362355-362.

AbstractThe brain-gut axis represents a bidirectional communication linking brain function with the gastrointestinal (GI) system. This interaction comprises a top-down communication from the brain to the gut, and a bottom-up communication from the gut to the brain, including neural, endocrine, immune, and humoral signaling. Acute brain injury (ABI) can lead to systemic complications including GI dysfunction. Techniques for monitoring GI function are currently few, neglected, and many under investigation. The use of ultrasound could provide a measure of gastric emptying, bowel peristalsis, bowel diameter, bowel wall thickness and tissue perfusion. Despite novel biomarkers represent a limitation in clinical practice, intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is easy-to-use and measurable at bedside. Increased IAP can be both cause and consequence of GI dysfunction, and it can influence cerebral perfusion pressure and intracranial pressure via physiological mechanisms. Here, we address ten good reasons to consider GI function in patients with ABI, highlighting the importance of its assessment in neurocritical care.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

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