Intraoperative continuous intestinal loop warming technique A prospective randomised trial

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate if the Intraoperative Continuous Intestinal Loop Warming (ICLM is a valid trick to decrease the postoperative paralytic ileus.. METHODS: The subjects were patients who underwent emergency open abdominal surgery for either benign or malignant diseases. Patients were divided into two groups; group A patients who was secluded for ICLW and a control group B who was not secluded for ICLW The primary outcomes were the time of recovery of bowel movement, 30 days postoperative mortality and morbidity, morbidity was graded by the Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications. Secondary outcomes were operative time, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: A total numbers of 100 patients were randomly assigned in this prospective study. The mean time of bowel function recovery in the group A was 41.52 hours, whereas for group B was 67.20 hours, these differences were statistically significant with a P value < 0.05. In group B the bowel function recovery for 64% of the patients took between 72-96 hours furthermore, the longest time for peristaltic recovery was 96 hours which was only observed in patients of group B. There were no intra-operative complication in both groups. There is no difference in the two groups in term of 30 day postoperative morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-operative continuous intestinal loop warming technique is a simple, safe and low cost technique. It seems that intra-operative continuous intestinal loop warming technique maintain tissues hydration and conserve the body temperature limiting the stress response and help in decreasing the incidence of postoperative paralytic ileus.