Stress gastric bleeding. Prevention of experimental lesions by intravenous hyperalimentation

Rats, weighing 125-150 gm., were restrained under a tight wire screen for one hour at 20°C and another hour at 4°C of ambient temperature. Animals receiving no infusions, or those receiving an intravenous solution of normal saline, developed 16 ± 3 S.D. bleeding areas in their gastric mucosa. In contrast, in animals exposed to the same degree of stress who received intravenous hyperalimentation, the number of gastric stress bleeding areas counted was 4 ± 2 S.D. These results demonstrate that the delivery of calories and protein in the form of intravenous hyperalimentation can significantly reduce the incidence of gastric stress bleeding in an experimental model (P < .001).