Does gum chewing enhance return of bowel movement after caesarean section?

Gum chewing and return of bowel motility after elective caesarean section: a randomised controlled single-centre trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN86084115

Enrollment

200

Registered

2008-10-30

Start date

2006-07-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2015-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Resumption of bowel motility after caesarean section (CS) Pregnancy and Childbirth Other complications of labour and delivery, not elsewhere classified

Interventions

This trial took place at Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital. The participants will be randomly allocated to the following two groups: 1. Group I (study group): 93 patients will receive one stick

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Female

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Pregnant women set for planned elective CS under general anaesthesia 2. No age limits 3. Written and signed informed consent by the patient to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Operation to be done not in the morning session 2. Patients undergoing caesarean hysterectomy or other extensive intra-abdominal surgery as a result of operative complication

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
With the time of end of surgery designated as zero hour: 1. The time interval to first hearing of normal intestinal sounds 2. The time interval to the first passage of flatus 3. The time interval to the first bowel movement 4. The time interval to the discharge from the hospital	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. In Group I only: post-operative tolerance of gum chewing 2. In both groups: post-operative complications, including: 2.1. Febrile morbidity (temperature greater than 38º C on two occasions 6 hours apart) 2.2. Re-operation 2.3. Blood transfusion 2.4. Post-operative ileus. The occurrence of mild ileus symptoms (vomiting or abdominal distension felt by the patient and seen on examination) or post-operative paralytic ileus, defined as a group of manifestations persisting longer than 24 hours or requiring nasogastric tube placement. These manifestations include absent or hypoactive bowel sounds, non-passage of flatus or bowel movement, abdominal distension, more than three episodes of vomiting, with or without generalised crampy abdominal pain. 2.5. Hospital readmission	—

Measure

Time frame

1. In Group I only: post-operative tolerance of gum chewing 2. In both groups: post-operative complications, including: 2.1. Febrile morbidity (temperature greater than 38º C on two occasions 6 hours apart) 2.2. Re-operation 2.3. Blood transfusion 2.4. Post-operative ileus. The occurrence of mild ileus symptoms (vomiting or abdominal distension felt by the patient and seen on examination) or post-operative paralytic ileus, defined as a group of manifestations persisting longer than 24 hours or requiring nasogastric tube placement. These manifestations include absent or hypoactive bowel sounds, non-passage of flatus or bowel movement, abdominal distension, more than three episodes of vomiting, with or without generalised crampy abdominal pain. 2.5. Hospital readmission

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Countries

Egypt

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026