RESUMO
Objective To explore the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) dialectical therapy for treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction in patients with acute lung injury / acute respiratory distress syndrome(ALI/ARDS)undergoing mechanical ventilation. Methods A prospective,randomized controlled trial was conducted. Ninety-six ALI/ARDS patients admitted in intensive care unit(ICU)and treated with mechanical ventilation in Tianjin First Central Hospital were chosen and randomly divided into traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) group and conventional therapy group using a random number table,48 patients in each group. Conventional therapy alone was used in conventional therapy group,and TCM therapy of primarily using Dachengqi decoction combined with conventional therapy was applied in TCM group〔Dachengqi decoction was composed of mongolian milkvetch root 15 g, pilose asiabell toot 15 g,Chinese angelica 10 g,officinal magnolia bark 10 g,tangerine peel 10 g,immature tangerine fruit 10 g,peach seed 10 g,white peony root 12 g,red peony root 12 g,immature bitter orange 6 g,mongolian dandelion herb 30 g,radish seed(stir-fried)30 g,foxtail millet sprout 20 g,barley sprout 20 g,glauber salt 9 g (with water),rhubarb 10 g(added in water at last)〕,one dose orally taken daily for 28 days. The intra-abdominal pressure(IAP),gastrointestinal diseases in TCM symptom score and the incidence of gastrointestinal dysfunction were compared between the two groups before treatment and on the 3rd,6th and 8th day after treatment. Results There were no statistical significant differences in IAP and TCM symptom scores between the two groups before treatment (both P>0.05),but after treatment with the prolongation of therapeutic time the IAP and TCM symptom scores were decreased gradually compared with those before treatment,having reached the valley value on the 18th day and the changes in TCM group were more remarkable〔IAP(mmHg,1 mmHg=0.133 kPa):0.91±0.69 vs. 2.08±0.92, TCM symptom score:48.33±10.41 vs. 88.33±20.21,both P<0.05〕. In the TCM group,the incidences of the untoward symptoms and signs of gastrointestinal dysfunction such as bleeding of stress ulcer,toxic intestinal paralysis, abdominal distension,diarrhea and so on were lower than those in conventional therapy group〔stress ulcer bleeding:16.7%(8/48)vs. 39.6%(19/48),toxic intestinal paralysis:16.7%(8/48)vs. 43.8%(21/48),abdominal distension:10.4%(5/48)vs. 37.5%(18/48),diarrhea:6.3%(3/48)vs. 33.3%(16/48),all P<0.05〕. Conclusion Addition of TCM Dachengqi decoction on conventional treatment can effectively lower the incidence of gastrointestinal dysfunction in treatment of patients with ALI/ARDS undergoing mechanical ventilation.