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World J Gastrointest Surg. Mar 27, 2026; 18(3): 116006
Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.116006
Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.116006
Letter to the Editor: Gut-vascular barrier dysfunction in intestinal obstruction: The role of vagal suppression and heart rate variability
Meng-Qing Dong, Department of Proctology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, China
Jiong Wu, Department of Coloproctology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of TCM, Shanghai 200437, China
Author contributions: Dong MQ wrote the original draft; Wu J contributed to conceptualization, writing, reviewing and editing; Dong MQ and Wu J participated in drafting the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Jiong Wu, MD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Coloproc
Received: October 31, 2025
Revised: November 21, 2025
Accepted: January 19, 2026
Published online: March 27, 2026
Processing time: 147 Days and 21.9 Hours
Revised: November 21, 2025
Accepted: January 19, 2026
Published online: March 27, 2026
Processing time: 147 Days and 21.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This article highlights a potentially overlooked mechanism - the role of the autonomic nervous system, particularly vagal tone, which may serve as a critical connection between intestinal obstruction and gut-vascular barrier disruption. Future research should investigate the link between heart rate variability and plasmalemma vesicle associated protein 1 expression, as integrating this non-invasive measure with a molecular marker could improve prognostication and reveal novel therapeutic avenues, such as vagus nerve stimulation.