Clinical Trials Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2020; 26(23): 3271-3282
Published online Jun 21, 2020. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i23.3271
Rapid rehabilitation technique with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine promotes postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery
Li-Xing Cao, Zhi-Qiang Chen, Zhi Jiang, Qi-Cheng Chen, Xiao-Hua Fan, Shi-Jun Xia, Jin-Xuan Lin, Hua-Chan Gan, Tao Wang, Yang-Xue Huang
Li-Xing Cao, Zhi-Qiang Chen, Zhi Jiang, Qi-Cheng Chen, Xiao-Hua Fan, Shi-Jun Xia, Hua-Chan Gan, Perioperative Research Team, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China
Jin-Xuan Lin, Tao Wang, Yang-Xue Huang, The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong province, China
Author contributions: Chen ZQ and Cao LX designed the research; Fan XH and Xia SJ verified the design; Chen ZQ, Cao LX, Fan XH, Xia SJ, Jiang Z, and Chen QC performed the research; Wang T and Gan HC collected and analyzed the data; Wang T, Gan HC, Lin JX, and Huang YX wrote the paper; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, No. 2014A020212278.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethical committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.
Clinical trial registration statement: This study was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry at http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=10166. The registration identification number is ChiCTR-IOR-14005744.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided written informed consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhi-Qiang Chen, PhD, Chairman, Professor, Surgeon, Perioperative Research Team, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 111, Dade Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China. weishoushuqi@163.com
Received: February 14, 2020
Peer-review started: February 14, 2020
First decision: April 9, 2020
Revised: May 9, 2020
Accepted: May 29, 2020
Article in press: May 29, 2020
Published online: June 21, 2020
Processing time: 128 Days and 5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

During the perioperative period, the characteristic therapy of traditional Chinese medicine is effective in improving postoperative rehabilitation. In large-scale hospitals practicing traditional Chinese medicine, there is accumulating experience related to the promotion of fast recovery in the perioperative period.

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yikou-Sizi powder hot compress on Shenque acupuncture point combined with rapid rehabilitation technique.

METHODS

This prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled study included two groups: Treatment group and control group. The patients in the treatment group and control group received Yikou-Sizi powder hot compress on Shenque acupuncture point combined with rapid rehabilitation technique and routine treatment, respectively. Clinical observation regarding postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function was performed, including the times to first passage of flatus, first defecation, and first normal bowel sounds. The comparison between groups was conducted through descriptive analysis, χ2, t, F, and rank-sum tests.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference in the time to postoperative first defecation between the treatment and control group (87.16 ± 32.09 vs 109.79 ± 40.25 h, respectively; P < 0.05). Similarly, the time to initial recovery of bowel sounds in the treatment group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (61.17 ± 26.75 vs 79.19 ± 33.35 h, respectively; P < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the time to initial exhaust between the treatment and control groups (51.54 ± 23.66 vs 62.24 ± 25.95 h, respectively; P > 0.05). The hospitalization expenses for the two groups of patients were 62283.45 ± 12413.90 and 62059.42 ± 11350.51 yuan, respectively. Although the cost of hospitalization was decreased in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). This clinical trial was safe without reports of any adverse reaction or event.

CONCLUSION

The rapid rehabilitation technique with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine promotes the recovery of postoperative gastrointestinal function and is significantly better than standard approach for patients after colorectal surgery.

Keywords: Rapid rehabilitation technique; Traditional Chinese Medicine; Western Medicine; Colorectal cancer; Postoperative gastrointestinal function

Core tip: Gastrointestinal recovery is key for rapid rehabilitation during the perioperative period. Modern medicine recognizes the importance of postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery, but an effective and safe treatment for this disorder has proven limited. During the perioperative period, the characteristic therapy of traditional Chinese medicine is effective in improving postoperative rehabilitation. The aim of this prospective, randomized, controlled study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of rapid rehabilitation technique with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the recovery of gastrointestinal function in 111 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer.