Utility of Abbreviated Small Bowel Follow Through Study in the Management of Small Bowel Obstruction

Small bowel obstruction is a common surgical complaint. Most small bowel obstructions are managed successfully nonoperatively. Unanimous guidelines for nonoperative management of small bowel obstruction do not exist.

A standardized protocol for water-soluble contrast administration and abbreviated small bowel follow through imaging was implemented in January of 2021. A retrospective chart review identified 111 patients admitted for SBO from 6/2019 to 9/2019 for a control group. A planned follow-up review identified 158 patients managed according to the new protocol from 3/2021 to 10/2021. The primary outcome was in-hospital length of stay. Standard statistical analyses were performed and pre-specified.

Before implementation of the standardized protocol patients that were managed strictly nonoperatively, the mean length of stay (LOS) was 8.3 days. After implementation, the average LOS was 4.8 (P < .0001). Comparatively, patients admitted after protocol implementation were more likely to undergo CT scan with PO contrast on admission (98.1% vs 90.1%; P < .005), undergo NG tube decompression (84.7% vs 68.5%; P < .005), and undergo water-soluble contrast with abbreviated or formal SBFT (75.3% vs 37.8%; P < .0001).

Implementation of a standardized protocol utilizing abbreviated SBFT with water-soluble contrast for the management of SBO at our institution resulted in a decrease in the average length of stay for patients definitively managed in a nonoperative fashion.