Electrical pacing for short bowel syndrome.

In five dogs, the abroad two-thirds of the small intestine were removed, and a jejunocolostomy was performed to create the short bowel syndrome. Electrodes were affixed to the remaining proximal part of the small intestine for recording and to the distal part of the small intestine for stimulating. A comparison was made between 15 day periods in which feedings were followed by either four hours of retrograde electrical pacing or no pacing. Daily weight loss was less during the periods of pacing in each dog than during the periods of no pacing. Retrograde electrical pacing of the small intestine decreased weight loss in dogs with the short bowel syndrome.