The Effect of Gum Chewing on Bowel Motility in Post-operative Colon Resection Patients

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 3

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01613274

Enrollment

Registered

2012-06-07

Start date

2012-06-30

Completion date

2014-04-30

Last updated

2014-04-22

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

Conditions

Colon Resection

Keywords

colon resection

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if chewing mint-flavored sugarless gum after colon resection surgery decrease the time to first flatus, bowel movement and length of stay in the hospital.

Detailed description

Post-operative colon resection patients experience decreased bowel motility, which may cause pain, nausea/ vomiting, impaired nutritional intake, and abdominal distention. Return of bowel function is a strong determinant in length of hospital stay. There are small studies that have shown that chewing gum post-operatively may enhance bowel motility thus minimizing complications and decreasing length of hospital stay. The purpose of this research study is to determine the effect of gum chewing on bowel motility as measured by time to first flatus, bowel movement and length of stay in patients following a colon resection.

Interventions

OTHERgum chewing

gum chewing three times a day for up to 20 minutes

OTHERno gum chewing

no gum chewing

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Admitted to Unit 2600 2. Age 18-100 years of age 3. Alert and oriented 4. Post-operative open or laparoscopic colon resection 5. English speaking.

Exclusion criteria

1. Confused, or with cognitive disabilities that render the patient unable to answer questions about bowel motility. 2. Admitted to any other unit except 2600 3. Use of an epidural catheter for pain control post-operatively 4. Documented history of irritable bowel syndrome 5. Colostomy (new or old)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Time to first flatus	Every 4 hours following surgery until discharge, which is an average of 5 days

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Time to first bowel movement	Every 4 hours following surgery until discharge, which is an average of 5 days
Length of stay in days	Patients will be followed until discharge, which is an average of 5 days

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026