None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Postoperative ileus (gut stasis) is a common event seen in patients following major surgery involving bowel resection, contributing to significant postoperative morbidity including delayed resumption of nutritional feeding, patient discomfort, prolonged hospitalisation and increased healthcare cost. The economic impact of postoperative ileus in patients following colectomy is estimated at approximately 1 billion US dollars per year in the United States alone (1). Current management is largely supportive with no widely accepted treatment found to be effective in reducing the period of ileus in postoperative patients. Given the scale of potential benefit, the main aim was to conduct a well-constructed trial involving an adequate number of patients to determine whether gum chewing in the early postoperative period does help to reduce duration of ileus, improve patient experience and decrease length of hospital stay. Reference (1): Schuster R, Grewal N, et al. Gum Chewing Reduces Ileus After Elective Open Sigmoid Colectomy. Arch Surg. 2006 Feb; 141(2): 174-6
Interventions
Duration of treatment: The treatment commenced as soon a practicable following bowel surgery which was usually when they were admitted to the colorectal ward. Participants in the chewing gum group were asked to chew gum for 15 minutes, four times a day, for up to 14 days following their operation, or until a normal bowel motion had occurred and the participant was able to tolerate a normal full diet for 24 hours, whichever occurred earlier.
Strategies to monitor adherence to the intervention
Duration of treatment: The treatment commenced as soon a practicable following bowel surgery which was usually when they were admitted to the colorectal ward. Participants in the chewing gum group were asked to chew gum for 15 minutes, four times a day, for up to 14 days following their operation, or until a normal bowel motion had occurred and the participant was able to tolerate a normal full diet for 24 hours, whichever occurred earlier. Strategies to monitor adherence to the intervention: Chewing gum was prescribed on the patient’s medication chart and administered by nurses as any other tablet or intravenous medication.
Sponsors
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
All adult patients from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney undergoing elective open abdominal or pelvic surgery involving bowel resection.
Exclusion criteria
Known swallowing difficulties Risk of aspiration Planned stoma Cognitive impairment Unable to give informed consent English illiterate
Outcome results
None listed