Factors affecting bowel motility following abdominal surgery: A clinical study

Abstract

Background: Postoperative ileus (POI) is a common complication of many surgical procedures. It is generally defined as a cessation of bowel motility. The pathogenesis of POI is multifactorial with bowel dysmotility being caused by disturbances in immunologic, inflammatory, neurologic, electrolyte and receptor-mediated functioning. Materials and Methods: Between January 2013 to June 2014, 140 patients with elective abdominal surgery were included in the present prospective study. The factors that were studied to see their effect on the return of bowel motility are type of surgery, duration of surgery, handling of bowel and electrolytes level. Results: It was found that these factors were significantly associated with POI. Out of the 140 patients enrolled in the study, appearance of bowel motility within 4 days was in 126 (90.00%) while after 4 days in only 14 (10.0%) patients. Discussion: This study showed that POI was an undeniable complication of abdominal surgeries; however, it was dependent on a host of factors, including age, type of surgery, category of bowel handling, duration of surgery and electrolyte imbalance. Although most of these are unmodifiable risk factors, however, a skilful handling, selection of appropriate operative technique and fluid management could help to reduce this complication.