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GASTRIC FLUID ANALYSIS
Gastric Juice
  A colorless to grayish or yellowish watery fluid
   w/ a low specific gravity secreted by the surface
   epithelium, gastric cells and the various glands
   of the gastric tract.
Importance of Detection
 Diagnosis of gastric diseases and assist in the
  selection of therapy i.e. peptic ulcer
 It measures the amount of acid produced by a
  patient w/ symptoms of peptic ulcer
 Diagnosis of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (adenoma
  of Islet of Langerhans) a condition of gastric
  hypersecretion produced by a gastrin secreting
   tumor of the pancreas
Collection of the Specimen
 The patient must be in a fasting state for 12 hours
 Contamination w/ saliva neutralizes the gastric
  acidity therefore it should be prevented.
 Time specimen should be collected for the
  purpose of comparison

2 Types of Gastric Juice Collection

 Using an evacuated tubes:
  1.) Levine tube – inserted in the nose (nasal
                       intubation)
  2.) Rehfuss tube – inserted in the mouth ( oral
                       intubation)
Composition
1.) H2O – varying amounts (99 %)
2.) HCl – secreted by the parietal cells w/c provide
            acidity for the activation of pepsinogen
3.) Digestive enzyme
      pepsin – catalyzes the protein digestion to
            proteoses; secreted by chief peptic cells
      lipase – fats ( no importance to digestion)
      rennin – milk (ability to coagulate caseinogen to
                   milk)
      gastricsin – importance of this enzyme is not yet
                   known in gastric secretion
4.) Mineral acid – chiefly acid phosphates
5.) Mucus – fd in moderate amts secreted by GOBLET
         cells of stomach to prevent autodigestion of stomach
Composition
6.) Electrolytes – main electrolytes present is H+;
             also present are Na, Cl, P, Ca and Mg
7.) Particles of food – undigested and partly
             digested
3 Main Types of Cells Responsible for Gastric
          Juice Production
1.) chief or peptic cells – producing the protein-
                splitting enzyme pepsin
2.) parietal or oxyutic cells – producing HCl and
        intrinsic factor (erythropoietic factor) absence of
        w/c leads to pernicious anemia
3.) goblet or mucous secreting cells – producing
        mucus for the protection of the mucosa and
        lubricates the food.
Macroscopic Examination
Volume:
 30 – 60 ml
 Fasting sample – contains few ml to 50 ml w/ an
                     average of 30 ml
Color:
 Colorless, yellowish or pale gray w/ varying
           amounts of mucus and food particles
 Abnormalities in Color:
 1.) brownish red or coffee color – presence of
                       large amount of blood.
 2.) opaque gray – seen after a test meal
 3.) yellow – presence of fresh bile
Abnormalities in Color:
 4.) greenish – presence of old bile
 5.) red – presence of small amount of blood
Odor:

 Odorless or maybe slightly sour or faintly pungent
Abnormalities in Odor:
 1.) fecal odor – seen in intestinal obstruction or
                     gastrocolic-fistula
 2.) foul or putrid odor – seen in carcinomatous ulcer
 3.) alcoholic odor – seen in alcoholic coma, or after alcohol
                            test meal
 4.) ammoniacal odor – seen in case of uremia
 5.) rancid odor – due to butyric (fatty acid) and lactic acid
                     (present in sour milk) indicating stenosis
                     and fermentation
pH or Reaction:
      Normally acidic – pH 1.6 to 1.8
      High acidity – pH 1.4 or lower
      Low acidity – pH 2.0 or 2.8
 Euchlorhydria – refers to normal secretion w/ a
                        pH bet. 1.6 to 1.8
 Hyperchorhydria – increase free HCl above
            normal around 60 ml i.e. peptic ulcer
 Hypochlorhydria – decreased free HCl
     i.e. 1.) carcinoma of the stomach
          2.) chronic gastritis 3.) gastric syphilis
 Achlorhydria – absence of free HCl
      i.e. 1.) pernicious anemia
           2.) pellagra
           3.) advanced gastric cancer
Specific Gravity
   Varies from 1.001 – 1.010 w/ an average of
                            1.007
              CHEMICAL EXAMINATION
   Acid contents of gastric juice are of 2 types:
   1.) Free HCl an acid w/ a pH less than 3.5
   2.) Combined HCl or organic acid – an acid w/c
                 combines w/ proteins or protein-like
                 subs to form protein salts of HCl.
Test for Free HCl
1.) Topfer’s method
2.) Tubeless gastric Analysis –Diagnex Blue
3.) Boa’s method
4.) Gunzberg method
MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION

Normal Structures
 1.) yeast cell – small amounts
 2.) epithelial cells   4.) bacteria – lesser amounts
 3.) starch granules 5.) fat globules
Pathologic Structures
 1.) fragments of tissues
 2.) rbc
 3.) yeast – large amounts
 4.) pus cells
 5.) muscle fibers
 6.) large number of bacteria and maybe seen are:
             a.) Sarcinae
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