Convalescence and hospital stay after colonic surgery with balanced XXXX , early oral feeding, and enforced mobilisation.

@entity1 @entity1337 @entity1341 @entity86 @entity1286 @entity158 @entity1443
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the combined effects of @entity158 relief by continuous epidural @entity1337 , early oral feeding and enforced mobilisation on convalescence and hospital stay after colonic resection. DESIGN: Uncontrolled pilot investigation. SETTING: University hospital, Denmark. SUBJECTS: 17 unselected @entity1 (median age 69 years) undergoing colonic resection. INTERVENTIONS: @entity1 received combined epidural and general anaesthesia during operations and after operation were given continuous epidural @entity1341 0.25%, 4 ml hour and @entity1286 0.2 mg hour, for 96 hours and oral @entity1443 4 g/daily. No @entity1 had a nasogastric tube, and oral feeding with normal food and protein enriched solutions (1000 Kcal (4180 KJ/day) was instituted 24 hours postoperatively together with intensive mobilisation. RESULTS: Median visual analogue @entity158 scores were zero at rest and minimal during coughing and mobilisation, which allowed early mobilisation for up to 11 hours on the third postoperative day. Gastrointestinal function with defaecation had returned to normal in 12 @entity1 within the first two postoperative days. Median hospital stay was five days with minimal @entity86 . CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a combined approach of @entity158 relief with balanced @entity1337 , enforced early mobilisation, and oral feeding, may reduce the length of convalescence and hospital stay after colonic operations.
