Postoperative ileus (POI), is an extensively known complication characterized by an impairment of normal gastrointestinal motor activity after abdominal surgery and may also occur after surgery at other sites due to non-mechanical causes. \[1\]. This clinical asset has been linked to prominent perioperative morbidity with the following financial burden owing to extended hospitalization \[1\]. Furthermore, POI can postpone adjuvant treatments, such as chemotherapy in patients who went through surgery for cancers. Abdominal tenderness and distension, nausea and vomiting, delay in the passage of flatus and stool, and intolerance to solid food are the prime symptoms of POI \[1-3\]. It is generally transient, but if prolonged, can cause surgical incision dehiscence, intestinal anastomotic fistula, abdominal cavity infection, intestinal ischemia, aspiration pneumonia, and other serious complications \[4-6\]. Hence, many clinicians have focused on averting POI. Many studies have analyzed preventive methods, such as preoperative mobilization of the patient, adequate pain control, gum chewing, epidural anesthesia, coffee consumption, and motility agents such as metoclopramide and alvimopan \[7-15\]. For all the manifold remedy approaches, POI maintains a difficult clinical challenge that compromises the rapid improvement of patients who underwent abdominal surgery. Recently, thermal attempts have been employs for several situations such as inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pelvic pain, and abdominal pain \[16\]. It may be used in two different ways; whole body or local. Local thermal therapy can be carried out by hot pack or paraffin \[17\]. It has been demonstrated that local thermotherapy abate myotonia, enhances circulation, and eases pain by expediting the removal of the pain-producing substance. Local thermal therapy is widely used for a number of conditions such as pain, nausea, vomiting, and some bowel diseases in traditional Chinese medicine \[18\].
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
130
bboiled tap water (80 °C) was put in a rubber water bag with a fluffy cover (Fig. 1), and placed on the patient's abdomen at 3, 6, 9, and 12 h after the surgical procedure for 30 minutes in addition to clinical standard postoperative care (ERAS protocol)
Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University Education and Research Hospital
Muğla, Turkey (Türkiye)
time to the first passage of flatus after surgery
Patients were checked hourly for bowel sounds by auscultation and were asked to note the time of first flatus and defecation and to inform the clinical nurses or an assistant.
Time frame: up to 72 hours
The time to tolerate a solid diet
The time to tolerate a solid diet was measured from the end of operation, referred to the time when the patient awoke from anesthesia, until the patient tolerated intake of solid food (any food that required chewing) without vomiting
Time frame: Up to 5 days
The time to the first bowel movement
The time to the first bowel movement was referred to the time to the first audible bowel sound during routine postoperative care. Patients were checked hourly for bowel sounds by auscultation and were asked to note the time of first flatus and defecation and to inform the clinical nurses or an assistant.
Time frame: up to 72 hours
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