Ultrasound Assessment of the Prokinetic Effect of Erythromycin in Trauma Patients with a Full Stomach: A Case Series.

In this preliminary prospective noninterventional study, we assessed the prokinetic effect of 3 mg•kg erythromycin in nonfasted emergency trauma patients. Ultrasonographic measurements of the antral area were performed 30 minutes and immediately before the erythromycin infusion and serially at 30, 60, and 90 minutes after the start of the infusion. Gastric emptying rates before and after erythromycin infusion, and at each 30-minute period after erythromycin infusion, were then calculated. We found that gastric emptying rates were increased after erythromycin infusion although gastric content and volume remained similar.