• Antonio Paulo Nassar, Fernanda Maria Queiroz da Silva, and Roberto de Cleva.
• Department of Medicine, Discipline of Medical Emergencies, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. paulo_nassar@yahoo.com.br
• J Crit Care. 2009 Dec 1;24(4):630.e9-12.

PurposeAlthough gastrointestinal motility disorders are common in critically ill patients, constipation and its implications have received very little attention. We aimed to determine the incidence of constipation to find risk factors and its implications in critically ill patientsMaterials And MethodsDuring a 6-month period, we enrolled all patients admitted to an intensive care unit from an universitary hospital who stayed 3 or more days. Patients submitted to bowel surgery were excluded.ResultsConstipation occurred in 69.9% of the patients. There was no difference between constipated and not constipated in terms of sex, age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, type of admission (surgical, clinical, or trauma), opiate use, antibiotic therapy, and mechanical ventilation. Early (<24 hours) enteral nutrition was associated with less constipation, a finding that persisted at multivariable analysis (P < .01). Constipation was not associated with greater intensive care unit or mortality, length of stay, or days free from mechanical ventilation.ConclusionsConstipation is very common among critically ill patients. Early enteral nutrition is associated with earlier return of bowel function.

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