Current Issue February 2012, Vol. 49, No. 2

Intestinal failure refers to a condition that results from obstruction, dysmotility, surgical resection, congenital defect, or disease-associated loss of absorption and is characterized by the inability to maintain protein-energy, fluid, electrolyte, or micronutrient balance. The short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a type of intestinal failure caused by intestinal resection leading to a shortened intestinal remnant and is characterized by the inability to maintain protein-energy, fluid, electrolyte, or micronutrient balances when on a conventionally accepted, normal diet. SBS accounts for approximately three-fourths of intestinal failure patients in adults and more than one half in children. The pathophysiologic changes that occur in SBS relate primarily to the loss of intestinal absorptive surface and more rapid intestinal transit. The consequences of malabsorption of nutrients include malnutrition, diarrhea, steatorrhea, specific nutrient deficiencies, and fluid and electrolyte imbalance. These patients are at risk for other specific complications, which include an increased incidence of cholelithiasis, gastric hypersecretion, nephrolithiasis, and liver disease.