Preparation of the colon by whole-gut irrigation--some practical remarks.

The importance of the mechanical cleansing of the bowel in relation to surgery of the colon is well understood. This article provides practical remarks concerning the technique of irrigation. Technical details are given on transforming a Bremshey hospital bed into a 'whole-gut irrigation bed'. The clinical procedure of the irrigation is described. We recommend irrigation by nasograstric tube with large amounts of fluids to all our patients when the bowel needs to be cleansed. Our specially designed whole-gut bed provides excellent comfort to our patients.