Postoperative upper and lower gastrointestinal recovery and gastrointestinal morbidity in patients undergoing bowel resection: pooled analysis of placebo data from 3 randomized controlled trials

Background This analysis examines gastrointestinal recovery in patients who underwent bowel resection (BR) in 3 recent trials. Methods Patients who underwent BR in the placebo groups of 3 randomized, double-blind, phase III, parallel-group, multicenter alvimopan efficacy trials were analyzed. Results Most patients tolerated solid food and had a bowel movement by postoperative day 4. The majority of patients were discharged from the hospital by day 6, but 24.4% required a prolonged hospital stay or readmission. The incidence of nausea was highest on the day of surgery and decreased thereafter, whereas vomiting was uncommon on the day of surgery but increased slightly on postoperative days 1 to 6. The incidence of postoperative nasogastric tube insertion was highest (12%) on day 2. Conclusions This analysis provides valuable clinical insight into gastrointestinal recovery after BR in a large homogenous patient population receiving multimodal care.