Risk factors associated with prolonged postoperative ileus after elective colon resection

Background There is a coordinated inhibition of motility of the colon after its surgical manipulation that contributes to the accumulation of fluids and gas, in turn characterized by nausea, vomiting, pain, abdominal distension, and constipation. Motility is recovered in the majority of patients within the first 72 hours. A delay in its resolution is known as prolonged postoperative ileus. Aims To study the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative risk factors for developing prolonged ileus in patients that underwent elective colon resection. Materials and methods The association between 25 perioperative variables and the presentation of prolonged ileus was analyzed in 85 patients that underwent colon resection at Hospital Christus Muguerza Alta Especialidad within the time frame of 2011 and 2014. Results Postoperative ileus occurred in 22.3% of the patients. The statistically significant predictors of ileus were obesity (OR 1.119, P=.048) and admission to the intensive care unit (OR 3.571, P=.050). The use of peridural anesthesia during the surgical act was found to be a protective factor (OR 0.363, P=.050). Conclusions The presence of these risk factors can alert the physician to the need for a closer follow-up in patients at high risk for postoperative ileus, and the use of peridural anesthesia can possibly lower the incidence of ileus.