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Improved bowel care with a polyethylene glycol based bisacadyl suppository
1Spinal Cord Injury Services, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Brockton, MA, USA.
The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine
|April 1, 1997
Summary
A new bisacodyl suppository using polyethylene glycol (PEGBS) significantly reduces bowel care time for myopathy patients compared to traditional hydrogenated vegetable oil suppositories (HVOBS). PEGBS halved evacuation times, offering substantial time savings for patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Gastroenterology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Patients with myopathy and upper motor neuron paralysis often experience significant challenges with bowel care.
- Conventional bisacodyl suppositories (HVOBS) can be time-consuming for effective bowel evacuation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of a novel bisacodyl suppository based in polyethylene glycol (PEGBS) against conventional hydrogenated vegetable oil-based suppositories (HVOBS) for bowel care in myopathy patients.
- To assess the impact of PEGBS on bowel evacuation time and patient-reported outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A crossover study design was employed, involving 19 patients with upper motor neuron paralysis.
- Participants underwent trials using both HVOBS and PEGBS, with detailed recording of bowel evacuation times.
Main Results:
- PEGBS demonstrated a significantly shorter average bowel evacuation time (1.1 hours) compared to HVOBS (2.4 hours).
- While three patients discontinued PEGBS due to side effects, the remaining 16 reported sustained time savings over three years.
- Overall, PEGBS usage reduced bowel care time by approximately 50%.
Conclusions:
- Polyethylene glycol-based bisacodyl suppositories (PEGBS) offer a more efficient alternative for bowel care in myopathy patients.
- The replacement of HVOBS with PEGBS can substantially decrease the time required for bowel management, improving patient quality of life.