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Park and Chung: Can Gum Chewing Reduce Postoperative Ileus after Open Abdominal Surgery?
Original Article
Journal of the Korean Surgical Society

Journal of the Korean Surgical Society 2009; 77(5): 306-309.

Published online: 5 November 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4174/jkss.2009.77.5.306

Can Gum Chewing Reduce Postoperative Ileus after Open Abdominal Surgery?

Seung Yeon Park, M.D., Min Chung, M.D., Ph.D.

Department of Surgery, Gil Hospital, Gachon Medical University, Incheon, Korea.

Corresponding author (franpak@gilhospital.com)

Received 8 February 2009       Accepted 17 August 2009

Copyright © 2009 The Korean Surgical Society

Abstract

Purpose

Gum chewing activates chephalic-vagal reflex as in food consumption and increases the release of gastrointestinal hormones which are related with gut motility. The objective of this study was to assess whether it is effective in shortening the time of hospitalization and postoperative ileus.

Methods

Twenty patients who received open abdominal surgery for colon cancer in Gachon University, Gil Hospital were collected. They were further categorized to gum-chewing group (n=10, mean age=52.0 years, range 37 to 70) and control group (n=10, mean age=59.7 years, range 35 to 75) randomly. The patients in the gum-chewing group chewed gum three times a day from the first postoperative AM until the day they began oral intake. The time of gas out was recorded in each group.

Results

The mean time of gas out were 2.35 days (SD 1.2) in gum-chewing group and 2.87 days (SD 1.2) in control group (P=0.41). The mean postoperative hospital days were 10.5 days in gum-chewing group and 13.0 days in control group (P=0.23).

Conclusion

There were no statistically significant results for shortnening of postoperative ileus and hospital day in this study.

Keywords: Gum-chewing, Postoperative ileus, Open abdominal surgery

Figures and Tables

Table 1
Demographic of patients
jkss-77-306-i001

*Mean±SD.

Table 2
Clinical characteristics of patients
jkss-77-306-i002

*DM = diabetes mellitus; †HTN = hypertension.

Table 3
Surgical characteristic of patients
jkss-77-306-i003

*ERH = extended right hemicolectomy.

Table 4
Effects of gum-chewing on recovery from postoperative ileus after open colectomy
jkss-77-306-i004

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