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Gastric acid test
When ulcers do not heal with therapy, or when they keep recurring, gastric acid analysis can determine whether the disease is caused by excessive secretion of stomach acid. After the patient fasts overnight, a lubricated rubber tube is passed into his or her stomach by mouth or through the nasal passage. With the patient in a sitting position, the initial stomach contents are suctioned out. Then stomach contents are sampled every 15 minutes for a period of 60 minutes.
For the test to be accurate, doctors will instruct patients to withhold any antacids, anticholinergics, cholinergics, alcohol, H2-receptor blockers (Tagamet, Pepcid, Zantac), reserpine, adrenergic blockers, and adrenocorticosteroids for three to seven days before the test. Complications such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distention or pain are possible following removal of the gastric tube.
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