Background: To know the effects of chewing gum and its effects on recovery on different types of surgeries.
Objectives: Several strategies and interventions have been tested to prevent or reduce postoperative ileus (POI), both pharmacological and non-pharmacological. One of these strategies is gum chewing, a new and simple modality, which can accelerate complication-free recovery of gastrointestinal (GI) function. Here we review several studies on chewing gum and its effects on recovery after different types of surgeries.
Methods: Studies from commonly searched databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Lilacus, and Cochrane Library with the following search terms, ‘chewing gum’ and ‘postoperative ileus’. A total of 49 articles were obtained in total and only 15 were taken for review after taking into account the study criteria.
Conclusion: Gum chewing is reducing the time for flatus, time for bowel movement, and the length of hospital stay. Its role in various surgeries has different results.
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Wang Y, Meng YS, Fan Y, Chen C, Yu W, Hao H, et al. Effect of gum chewing on bowel function recovery in patients after radical cystectomy with urinary diversion. Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2016;48(5):822–824. PMID: 27752163.
Choi H, Kim JH, Park JY, Ham BK, Shim J sung, Bae JH. Gum chewing promotes bowel motility after a radical retropubic prostatectomy. Asia Pac J Clin Oncol 2014;10(1):53–59. DOI: 10.1111/ajco.12113.
López-Jaimez G, Cuello-García CA. Use of chewing gum in children undergoing an appendectomy: A randomized clinical controlled trial. Int J Surg 2016;32:38–42. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2016.06.003.
Jennings JK, Doyle JS, Gilbert SR, Conklin MJ, Khoury JG. The use of chewing gum postoperatively in pediatric scoliosis patients facilitates an earlier return to normal bowel function. Spine Deform 2015;3(3):263–266. DOI: 10.1016/j.jspd.2014.12.001.
Takagi K, Teshima H, Arinaga K, Yoshikawa K, Hori H, Kashikie H, et al. Gum chewing enhances early recovery of bowel function following transperitoneal abdominal aortic surgery. Surg Today 2012;42(8):759–764. DOI: 10.1007/s00595-012-0180-2.
