Body surface gastric mapping after major pancreas resection

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Body Surface Gastric Mapping to determine gastric motility patterns associated with delayed gastric emptying after pancreaticoduodenectomy

• IRAS ID

  305302

• Contact name

  Keno Mentor

• Contact email

  keno.mentor@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 11 months, 28 days

• Research summary

  Major pancreas resection surgery, which is performed in patients with pancreas and duodenal cancer, is complex and has a high rate of complication. A part of this operation involves disconnecting the stomach from its normal position and reconnecting it to the small intestine. This often results in ‘delayed gastric emptying’, where the stomach moves abnormally and is not able to receive and digest food in the normal way. Patients who suffer from this complication are unable to eat or drink for a few weeks after their surgeries, causing prolonged hospital stays and significant patient suffering.

  The exact mechanism for this complication is not well understood, making it difficult to predict which patients will have delayed gastric emptying after surgery. Different techniques for connecting the stomach to the small intestine have been developed but it is unclear which of these has the greatest potential to prevent this complication.
  The contracting action of the stomach is coordinated by electrical signals, much like that in the heart. Recently, a new technology termed ‘Body Surface Gastric Mapping’ has been developed to measure these electrical signals non-invasively from the skin, similar to the manner in which an ECG analyses the electrical impulses from the heart. Using this technology, specific patterns have been shown in patients with various disorders of the stomach.

  With the proposed study, we aim to use this new technology to analyse the pattern of electrical signals from the stomach in patients who have had major pancreas surgery and who may go on to develop delayed gastric emptying. In doing so, we hope to learn to predict which patients are likely to have this complication and develop better techniques for preventing and treating it in the future.

• REC name

  North West - Greater Manchester Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  22/NW/0148

• Date of REC Opinion

  8 Jun 2022

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion