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Efficacy of Intestinal Obstruction Catheter Combined with Modified Dachengqi Decoction in Elderly Patients with Early
Jiusi Liu1, Yuzhen Zhong2, Qiliang Deng3
1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Ji'an Central People's Hospital, Ji'an, Jiangxi, 343000, People's Republic of China.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a combined therapy integrating a nasointestinal decompression catheter with a modified Dachengqi Decoction (mDQD) for elderly patients diagnosed with early postoperative inflammatory intestinal obstruction (EPIIO) following gastrointestinal emergency surgery.
Methods:
We conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial involving 62 elderly EPIIO patients. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=31) or a conventional group (n=31). Both groups received standard nasointestinal catheter decompression and conventional Western medical therapy. The experimental group received additional treatment with mDQD administered through the catheter. Outcomes included recovery times (symptom resolution, first flatus, hospital stay), inflammatory markers (white blood cell count, C‑reactive protein, interleukin‑6), and intestinal barrier function (D‑lactate, diamine oxidase), measured before treatment and at 7 and 14 days post‑treatment.
Results:
The experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in several recovery metrics, including shorter time to symptom resolution, first flatus, and hospital discharge, compared with the conventional group (all P < 0.05). In addition, the experimental group had greater reductions in systemic inflammatory markers and better restoration of intestinal barrier function at days 7 and 14 (P < 0.05). No major adverse events were reported in either group.
Conclusion:
The combined therapy of an intestinal obstruction catheter and modified Dachengqi Decoction was associated with improved recovery outcomes in elderly patients with early postoperative inflammatory intestinal obstruction, including reduced inflammation and enhanced intestinal barrier function. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution owing to the small sample size and single‑center design. Larger, multicenter randomized trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of this integrated approach.