Research progress of chewing gum applied in postoperative recovery of intestinal function after obstetric and gynecologic surgery

Abstract

Postoperative paralytic ileus is a common complication after abdominal surgery.Chewing gum has been reported to promote recovery of gastrointestinal function after abdominal surgery, shorten the first time of flatus and defecations, decrease the incidence rate of postoperative ileus and hospital stays.It's physiology mechanism maybe the cephalic-vagal pathway activation and directly or indirectly triggering the release of gastrointestinal hormones and intestinal motor function. The safety and effectiveness of chewing gum in the field of gastrointestinal surgery has been confirmed, but in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, most were abdominal surgery, the research of chewing gum applied in postoperative of obstetric and gynecologic surgery to promote recovery of gastrointestinal function and reduce postoperative complication is still in the beginning stage.We summarized the research progress of chewing gum applied in postoperative of obstetric and gynecologic surgery and presented the positive and negative opinion about it to guide the clinical practice and the future research orientation. Key words: Gynecologic surgical procedures; Chewing gum; Postoperative care; Intestinal obstruction