Does a Preoperative Bowel Regimen Change Time to Bowel Movement? A Randomized Clinical Trial

Area of Science:

• Gynecology
• Surgical Innovation
• Patient Recovery

Background:

• Robotic sacral colpopexy is a surgical procedure to treat pelvic organ prolapse.
• Postoperative recovery, particularly bowel function and pain management, is crucial for patient well-being.
• Optimizing interventions to reduce patient discomfort is an ongoing area of clinical research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of preoperative polyethylene glycol in reducing time to first bowel movement post-robotic sacral colpopexy.
• To assess the impact of this intervention on postoperative pain levels and stool consistency.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted.
• Patients received either daily preoperative polyethylene glycol for 7 days or no preoperative treatment.
• All patients received polyethylene glycol postoperatively.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was observed in the time to the first postoperative bowel movement between groups (P = 0.21).
• The experimental group showed a statistically significant reduction in pain during the first bowel movement (P = 0.0007).
• Patients receiving preoperative polyethylene glycol reported significantly lower pain on postoperative day 1 (P = 0.0484) and over the first 7 days (P = 0.0038).

Conclusions:

• Preoperative polyethylene glycol does not accelerate the return of bowel function after robotic sacral colpopexy.
• The intervention effectively reduced postoperative pain, particularly with the first bowel movement and on the first postoperative day.