A comparison of the effectiveness of Therevac SB and bisacodyl suppositories in SCI patients' bowel programs

The evaluation described in this article compared the Therevac SB "mini-enema" with bisacodyl suppositories in the bowel management programs of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Of particular interest were (a) determining whether the additional costs of Therevac SB could be justified and (b) identifying the degree of bowel program improvement possible. Fourteen SCI patients were selected from the SCI inpatient unit and the clinic of a Department of Veterans Affairs facility. All patients experienced a delay of at least 45 minutes between insertion of a suppository and the beginning of stool evacuation. Each patient used bisacodyl suppositories for five bowel programs, then Therevac SB for five programs, finally repeating the bisacodyl suppositories for five more programs. Each patient maintained a bowel program log. Ten patients completed the evaluation. Using a MANOVA, the authors found a significant difference between bisacodyl and Therevac SB mean evacuation times for this group. An analysis of direct and indirect costs related to bowel care with the two regimens is also presented.