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.
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.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
80
gum chewing three times a day for up to 20 minutes
no gum chewing
United Hospital
Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Time to first flatus
Time frame: Every 4 hours following surgery until discharge, which is an average of 5 days
Time to first bowel movement
Time frame: Every 4 hours following surgery until discharge, which is an average of 5 days
Length of stay in days
Time frame: Patients will be followed until discharge, which is an average of 5 days
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