Simple Bed Exercises for Reducing Postoperative Ileus in Colorectal Surgical Patients.

NCT ID: NCT07014046

Last Updated: 2025-06-18

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 76 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-12-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-12-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of simple bed exercises for reducing postoperative ileus among colorectal surgical patients who have completed colorectal surgery and are experiencing postoperative ileus. The research team will recruit participants in list of elective colorectal surgeries from the Department of Surgery in the United Christian Hospital. The potential participants will first be assessed for eligibility by completing a simple screening assessment, which may take 10 minutes at facilities within the United Christian Hospital. If the patients meet the inclusion criteria, they will continue to take part in the study.

The participants will be assigned randomly (1:1) to either Group 1 or Group 2 via computer randomization. Participants of Group 1 will receive education for simple bed exercises after colorectal surgery. Participants will be asked to have simple bed exercises for 15 minutes, three times a day starting from postoperative day one, until passing the first stool after surgery. All sessions will be conducted by surgical nurse in the United Christian Hospital. Surgical nurses will educate simple bed exercises with exercise video. Participants will be instructed to practise the simple bed exercises 3 times per day for 15 minutes each time at before breakfast, before lunch and before dinner, on top of the standard usual care. Participants in Group 2 will be placed under control group to receive standard usual care.

All participants are required to record defecation, flatus and tolerance of oral intake starting from postoperative day one. Records will take place at 3-time points for both groups: at breakfast, at lunch and at dinner time. Each time participants must complete one set of record on the logbook provided by nurses. If necessary, clinical records including medical history and follow-up appointment time will be retrieved from electronic medical records.

Conditions

Postoperative Ileus

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Simple bed exercises arm

The participants will be asked to perform exercise by lying flat on bed in supine position with their eyes look towards to the ceiling of the ward and start focusing on deep breathing exercises with slow inhalations and exhalations. These exercises aim to achieve regular pattern of abdominal muscles and improve the coordination between breathing, abdominal muscle contractions and colonic propulsions. After one-minute deep-breathing exercises, intervention group participants will be asked to pull both knees towards chest in return and turning body from one side to another while lying on bed.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Simple bed exercises

Intervention Type: OTHER

The participants will be asked to perform exercise by lying flat on bed in supine position with their eyes look towards to the ceiling of the ward and start focusing on deep breathing exercises with slow inhalations and exhalations. These exercises aim to achieve regular pattern of abdominal muscles and improve the coordination between breathing, abdominal muscle contractions and colonic propulsions. After one-minute deep-breathing exercises, intervention group participants will be asked to pull both knees towards chest in return and turning body from one side to another while lying on bed.

control arm

usual care

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Simple bed exercises

The participants will be asked to perform exercise by lying flat on bed in supine position with their eyes look towards to the ceiling of the ward and start focusing on deep breathing exercises with slow inhalations and exhalations. These exercises aim to achieve regular pattern of abdominal muscles and improve the coordination between breathing, abdominal muscle contractions and colonic propulsions. After one-minute deep-breathing exercises, intervention group participants will be asked to pull both knees towards chest in return and turning body from one side to another while lying on bed.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Male or female patients aged >/=18 years,
• patients who are diagnosed with colorectal problems that require elective colorectal surgical intervention either anastomosis or stoma, either open or laparoscopic, and the use of any type of postoperative analgesic,
• orientate to have informed consent and who have signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients who are not in the list of elective colorectal surgeries
• Patients who require intraoperative and long postoperative intensive care >1 day,
• with a history of mental disorder or confusion,
• patients with any active limitation which affects adherence to the study procedures like severe dementia and physical limitation.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

The University of Hong Kong

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Cheung Shuk-Ting

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

United Christian Hospital

Hong Kong, , Hong Kong

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Hong Kong

Central Contacts

Sin Kwan Siu, Doctoral

Role: CONTACT

u3596437@connect.hku.hk

852+68740563

Facility Contacts

Sin Kwan Siu

Role: primary

u3596437@connect.hku.hk

852+68740563

Other Identifiers

CIRB-2024-115-1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id