An acidic environment is needed for the digestion that takes place in the stomach. By the time food is ready to leave the stomach, it has been processed into a thick liquid called chyme pronounced: kime. A walnut-sized muscular valve at the outlet of the stomach called the pylorus pronounced: pie-LOR-us keeps chyme in the stomach until it reaches the right consistency to pass into the small intestine.
Chyme is then squirted down into the small intestine, where digestion of food continues so the body can absorb the nutrients into the bloodstream. The inner wall of the small intestine is covered with millions of microscopic, finger-like projections called villi pronounced: VIH-lie.
The villi are the vehicles through which nutrients can be absorbed into the blood. The blood then brings these nutrients to the rest of the body. The liver under the ribcage in the right upper part of the abdomen , the gallbladder hidden just below the liver , and the pancreas beneath the stomach are not part of the alimentary canal, but these organs are essential to digestion.
The liver makes bile , which helps the body absorb fat. Bile is stored in the gallbladder until it is needed. The pancreas makes enzymes that help digest proteins, fats, and carbs. It also makes a substance that neutralizes stomach acid. These enzymes and bile travel through special pathways called ducts into the small intestine, where they help to break down food. The liver also helps process nutrients in the bloodstream. From the small intestine, undigested food and some water travels to the large intestine through a muscular ring or valve that prevents food from returning to the small intestine.
By the time food reaches the large intestine, the work of absorbing nutrients is nearly finished. The large intestine's main job is to remove water from the undigested matter and form solid waste poop to be excreted. Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD. Finally, the chyme moves from the small intestine into the colon large intestine. The large intestine absorbs the rest of the available fluid from the chyme, and some vitamins and nutrients.
If a patient has an enteroatmospheric fistula or enterostomy located somewhere along their small intestine, they may be losing large volumes of fluids, enzymes, and nutrients from their body before it can be absorbed. The earlier chyme is lost from the small intestine, the more energy, fluid, and digestive juices will be lost.
Nutrition, a building block to rehabilitating an intestinal failure patient. Andrew Xia, Advanced Clinical Dietitian, discusses this in depth. Home About. Contact the sales team now. What is Chyme? Related Articles Patient Quality of Life with Intestinal Failure Learn how automated chyme reinfusion positively impacts a patient's quality of life.
From the duodenum, chyme passes to the jejunum and ileum. Here, tiny villi finger-like projections cover the walls of the small intestine. The cells that line the villi are covered with small projections called microvilli brush border.
These projections increase the surface area of the small intestine, allowing the chyme to contact more of the small intestine wall. The increased contact causes more efficient food absorption. During food absorption, food molecules enter the bloodstream through the intestinal walls.
Capillaries microscopic blood vessels within the villi absorb products of protein and carbohydrate digestion. Lymph vessels lacteals within the villi absorb products of fat digestion and eventually lead to the bloodstream.
From the small intestine, digested products travel to the liver, one of the body's most versatile organs. Hepatocytes liver cells detoxify filter blood of harmful substances such as alcohol and ammonia. And, hepatocytes store fat-soluble vitamins and excess substances such as glucose sugar for release when the body requires extra energy.
Once food has passed through the small intestine, it is mostly undigestible material and water. It enters the colon large intestine , named for its wide diameter. The large intestine has six parts: the cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum. The large pouch-shaped cecum marks the beginning of the colon. Attached near the cecum bottom is the vermiform worm-like appendix. The appendix contains lymphoid tissue and intercepts pathogenic microorganisms that enter the digestive tract.
Sometimes, fecal matter may become trapped in the appendix, resulting in appendicitis infection and inflammation. The other parts of the colon absorb water and minerals from the undigested food and compact the remaining material into feces. Defecation is the digestive process final stage: feces undigested waste products are carried to the rectum through peristalsis and eliminated through the anus.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.
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