False feeding refers to promoting gastrointestinal peristalsis by seeing, smelling, chewing and tasting food, not getting food into the gastrointestinal tract. Postoperative sham feeding uses gum to promote healing of gastrointestinal peristalsis. Although not fully understood, the physiological theory underlying gum chewing (fake feeding) to stimulate peristalsis and reduce postoperative intestinal recovery time is that the oral and chewing stimulation provided by chewing gum stimulates a neurohumoral reflex that increases gastrointestinal fluid secretion. This increases gastrointestinal motility. In addition, oral stimulation and chewing can stimulate the vagus nerve, which is also involved in promoting peristalsis. Finally, none of the existing theories adequately explain the effect of chewing/gum chewing on reducing postoperative inflammation in the gut, which may result in a reduced incidence of postoperative infection. Previous studies have shown that physiological changes associated with gum support normal gastrointestinal function and subsequent postoperative/anesthetic recovery.
Some studies have shown that chewing gum after colorectal resection reduces postoperative flatulence and defecation time. showed that it reduces the risk of postoperative ileus. In contrast, some studies in patients undergoing open abdominal surgery or laparoscopy for various types of colorectal resection have shown no effect of chewing gum on postoperative first flatulence and time to defecation, has no significant effect in reducing the average hospital stay and has no significant effect in preventing postoperative nausea, vomiting, or bloating.
One possible reason for the inconsistent results of sham feeding using chewing gum to reduce the incidence of postoperative ileus may be differences in underlying colorectal cancer types and heterogeneity between surgical and postoperative care methods.
Although many studies have been conducted to examine the effectiveness of chewing gum in patients undergoing colorectal resection, the results have been inconsistent. This can be attributed to differences in intestinal injuries affecting bowel function, differences in time under anesthesia differences in anesthetics or pain control agents used for pain control affecting bowel function, and recovery time of peristalsis. Given the many factors known to affect postoperative ileus, chewing gum as an intervention remains a safe, accessible, and inexpensive option that remains to be explored. This study will provide empirical evidence that contributes to a body of literature supporting gum administration for affecting postoperative nausea, flatulence, and stool output in a well-defined sample.
Many interventions and strategies have been used to manage postoperative ileus, such as prokinetic agents and epidural anesthesia. However, these methods have limited efficacy and still have a relatively high incidence of postoperative ileus. Alternatively, chewing gum promotes gastrointestinal peristalsis in post-surgery patients without the adverse effects associated with early feeding. However, results in studies investigating the effect of chewing gum on postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function after colorectal surgery are conflicting.
