BACKGROUND: The evaluation of the usefulness of gum chewing for postoperative ileus has given inconclusive results. We evaluated the efficacy of gum chewing in the treatment of ileus after elective colorectal surgery.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials comparing the effect of gum chewing+standard treatment vs. standard treatment on ileus after colorectal surgery. MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trial Register, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched until August 2008. Primary outcomes were time to first flatus, time to first passage of feces, and length of hospital stay. The mean difference (MD) in hours was calculated with the random effects model to assess the effect of gum chewing on the outcomes.