Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been considered as a widely dependable paradigm to increase the goodness of patient care by better management of surgical patients in the perioperative period. There is no specific method has been established yet to prevent and treat postoperative ileus but different strategies were used, however the efficacy of them were unclear.
Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of stimulant laxative on the resumption of intestinal motility and its reflection on the post caesarean section recovery.
Patients and methods: A prospective cohort study, included 120 women who had caesarean section (CS) in Menoufia University Hospital, from June 2021 till October 2021. They were divided into case group (A) which included 60 patients who drank a cup of anise added to it 15 drops of picolax 4 hours after CS and control group (B) included 60 patients who just drank a cup of anise only 4 hours after surgery. Resumption of intestinal sound, first flatus and motion were compared between the two group.
Results: Case group which used laxative showed significantly shorter time for first intestinal sounds (Mean ± SD 6.87 ± 1.38), time to first flatus (Mean ± SD 16.78 ± 4.46) and mean time to first bowel movement (Mean ± SD 20.65 ± 5.81) (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Usage of stimulant laxative 4 hours after CS enhance the intestinal motility and improved the CS recovery.