Effects of Gum Chewing on Post Operative Ileus - 1274 Words

Postoperative ileus is a possibly deadly complication that occurs after many abdominal surgeries and operations. An ileus is where the bowels â€Å"fall asleep† after trauma and fail to â€Å"awaken† for quite some time following surgery. Postoperative ileus can affect patient nutrition, comfort and especially length of stay, which results in a major cost to insurance companies and hospitals. According to Chan and Law (2007), the economic burden resulting from postoperative ileus is $7.5 billion per year in the United States alone not including the expense of missed work. Clearly, the issue of postoperative ileus duration is one that deserves attention and necessitates a solution. Right now, doctors are forced to offer motility agents, trials with†¦show more content†¦The patients were selected according to the type of surgery, open colectomy for left-sided colon and rectal cancer, patients that required postoperative ventilation or planned intensive care thera py due to co-morbid conditions were excluded from the study, the eligible subjects were randomly selected to either the control or treatment group, and peri-operative treatment was standardized (Quah et al, 2006, p. 65). Outcome measures were time to first flatus and feces, and length of hospital stay, and a blinded independent specialist colorectal nurse practitioner evaluated the progress (Quah et al, 2006, p. 65). Researchers utilized the Mann-Whitney U-test and the X2 test to analyze the data entered into statistical software, and measured statistical significance using a two-sided p value of 0.05. The two groups were homogeneous in terms of age, gender co-morbid disease, history of previous abdominal surgery, site of tumor and tumor stage (Quah et al, 2006, p. 65). The researchers findings were not significant enough to support the intervention; the mean time to first flatus was 2.7 days for the control group and 2.4 days for the experimental group a p value of 0.56, the mean t ime to first feces was 3.9 days for the control group and 3.2 for the experimental group a p value of 0.38, and length of hospital stay was 11.2 days for the control group and 9.4 days for the experimental group a p value of 0.75. Patients in the experimental group hadShow MoreRelatedPharmacological Intervention Assignment : Patient X2837 Words   |  12 Pagesmale with a history of recurrent sigmoid diverticulitis who has opted for elective laparoscopic sigmoid hemicolectomy. In conjunction with his surgery, he will be starting a regimen of alvimopan (Entereg) to prevent the development of postoperative ileus. His situation fits into the perioperative clinical focus of nursing practice because the dosing recommendations for alvimopan include beginning the first dose preoperatively, 30 minutes to 5 hours prior to surgery (Erwele, 2008). This assignment will