2018-05-01
Response to ‘Gum chewing aids bowel function return and analgesic requirements after bowel surgery: a randomised controlled trial’
Publication
Publication
Colorectal Disease , Volume 20 - Issue 5 p. 450
Dear Editor,
We read, with great interest, the randomized controlled
trial by Byrne _et al., which concluded that chewing
sugar-free gum resulted in an earlier return of bowel
function and decreased analgesic requirements. Postoperative
ileus (POI) remains an important and common
clinical problem after abdominal surgery. Therefore, we
compliment the authors for their efforts to investigate
the effectiveness of chewing gum – in addition to the
existing literature on this topic – which seems to be
an inexpensive, safe, and readily available solution to
this problem. However, we would like to highlight that
in our opinion, the reported primary outcomes do not
fully reflect the recovery of bowel function. In a
prospective study, van Bree -et al_. demonstrated that
the combined end-point of tolerance of solid food (SF)
and first defaecation (D) best reflects the recovery of
gastrointestinal transit. Additionally, the reported time
to flatus might not adequately indicate effective gastrointestinal
recovery, but might instead mirror rectal
emptying. In order to progress towards more easily
comparable results in future research on POI and postoperative
gastrointestinal recovery, the consistent use of
the abovementioned clinical definition should be considered.
We would be grateful if the authors could comment
on this matter. Moreover, we believe it will
strengthen the conclusion of their trial, if the authors
could provide additional results from their valuable data
regarding the combined end-point (SF + D).
Additional Metadata | |
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doi.org/10.1111/codi.14012, hdl.handle.net/1765/106149 | |
Colorectal Disease | |
Organisation | Department of Surgery |
Lambrichts, D., & Lange, J. (2018). Response to ‘Gum chewing aids bowel function return and analgesic requirements after bowel surgery: a randomised controlled trial’. Colorectal Disease, 20(5). doi:10.1111/codi.14012 |