Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
J Perioper Pract. 2021 Apr;31(4):132-139. doi: 10.1177/1750458920917015. Epub 2020 Apr 17.
Postoperative ileus is a common complication of abdominal surgery, leading to prolonged hospital stay and associated costs. Gum chewing may be a safe, cheap intervention to reduce postoperative ileus.
The aim was to investigate the effect of gum chewing on postoperative ileus in open colorectal surgery patients. A literature search was conducted between December 2018 and March 2019 on CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, Academic Search Complete, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar. The keywords used included 'ileus', 'chewing gum', 'mastication' and 'sham feeding'. Papers had to include adults undergoing open colorectal surgery. The studies were appraised using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tools and the results summarised using a narrative review.
A total of three systematic reviews and three randomised controlled trials were included in the study. The studies show a significant to highly significant effect of gum chewing on postoperative ileus-related outcomes. The trials however in general utilised a weak design.
Gum chewing decreases postoperative ileus following colorectal surgery. More robust trials are required to confirm these findings. Due to the low risk of harm and cost of using gum chewing, its use is recommended even in the interim.
术后肠梗阻是腹部手术的常见并发症，导致住院时间延长和相关费用增加。咀嚼口香糖可能是一种安全、廉价的干预措施，可以减少术后肠梗阻。
本研究旨在探讨咀嚼口香糖对开腹结直肠手术患者术后肠梗阻的影响。2018 年 12 月至 2019 年 3 月，我们在 CINAHL、Cochrane 对照试验中心注册库、Cochrane 系统评价数据库、MEDLINE、Academic Search Complete、PubMed、Scopus 和 Google Scholar 上进行了文献检索。使用的关键词包括“ileus”、“chewing gum”、“mastication”和“sham feeding”。纳入的研究必须包括接受开腹结直肠手术的成年人。使用批判性评估技能计划工具对研究进行评估，并使用叙述性综述总结结果。
共有 3 项系统评价和 3 项随机对照试验纳入本研究。这些研究表明，咀嚼口香糖对术后肠梗阻相关结局有显著到高度显著的影响。然而，这些试验通常采用了较弱的设计。
咀嚼口香糖可减少结直肠手术后的术后肠梗阻。需要更有力的试验来证实这些发现。由于咀嚼口香糖的危害风险低且成本低，即使在临时使用，也推荐使用。
