International journal of surgery
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Review Meta Analysis
Gum chewing reduces postoperative ileus? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
An important cause of delayed recovery from intestinal surgery is postoperative ileus. Gum chewing is a form of sham feeding, which could encourage gastrointestinal motility through cephalic-vagal stimulation. ⋯ Chewing sugarless gum following elective intestinal resection is associated with improved outcomes. Insufficient data were available to demonstrate a reduced rate of clinical complications or reduced cost. An adequately powered, methodologically rigorous trial of gum chewing is required to confirm if there are any benefits and if these result in differences in clinical outcomes such as infection.
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Review Meta Analysis
Advanced enteral therapy in acute pancreatitis: is there a room for immunonutrition? A meta-analysis.
It is believed that certain nutrients such as glutamine, arginine and omega-3 fatty acids may play a significant role in metabolic, inflammatory, and immune processes in acute pancreatitis. The present systematic review aimed to define whether the addition of these substances to enteral nutrition provides any clinical benefit over standard enteral formulas in patients with acute pancreatitis. ⋯ There is no evidence that enteral nutrition supplemented with glutamine, arginine and/or omega-3 fatty acids, in comparison with standard enteral nutrition, has any beneficial effect on infectious complications, mortality or length of hospital stay in acute pancreatitis. The pursuit of new compositions of enteral formulations in this category of patients may be advocated.