Chewing gum manages and prevents postoperative ileus in patients after robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

Abstract To compare the feasibility and effectiveness of gum chewing to promote gastrointestinal (GI) recovery and prevent postoperative ileus (POI) in patients who underwent robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RALPN), all subjects who met the enrollment criteria were randomly divided into the CG group (n = 23) and the control group (n = 29). No intervention other than chewing gum had been set between the two groups. We took the time of first bowel sound, exhaust, defecation, liquid diet, and solid diet as the study endpoints, and performed statistical analysis between the two groups. Baseline and postoperative data of patients were also recorded and analyzed. The time of first flatus, the first defecation, hospital stay, first liquid diet, and first solid diet in the chewing gum group were significantly shorter than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). CG can be an effective approach to promote bowel function recovery and prevent POI after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.