Zhang Q, He XH, Liu X, Ling XJ, Zhang YM. Application of a novel small intestine decompression method in patients with intestinal obstruction: A retrospective cohort study. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(1): 112927 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i1.112927]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ya-Ming Zhang, MD, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of General Surgery, Anqing Municipal Hospital, No. 352 Renmin Road, Anqing 246000, Anhui Province, China. zhangyaming2014@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Retrospective Cohort Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (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/
Jan 27, 2026 (publication date) through Jan 28, 2026
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
ISSN
1948-9366
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Zhang Q, He XH, Liu X, Ling XJ, Zhang YM. Application of a novel small intestine decompression method in patients with intestinal obstruction: A retrospective cohort study. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(1): 112927 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i1.112927]
Qi Zhang, Xiao-Hu He, Xin-Jian Ling, Ya-Ming Zhang, Department of General Surgery, Anqing Municipal Hospital, Anqing 246000, Anhui Province, China
Xin Liu, Department of Gastroenterology, Anqing Municipal Hospital, Anqing 246000, Anhui Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang Q, He XH and Liu X wrote the main manuscript text; Ling XJ prepared the tables; Zhang YM revised the manuscript; all the authors reviewed the manuscript.
Supported by Wannan Medical College, No. WK2023JXYY025.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Anqing Municipal Hospital.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patients for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary material. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
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: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ya-Ming Zhang, MD, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of General Surgery, Anqing Municipal Hospital, No. 352 Renmin Road, Anqing 246000, Anhui Province, China. zhangyaming2014@163.com
Received: August 11, 2025 Revised: October 23, 2025 Accepted: November 26, 2025 Published online: January 27, 2026 Processing time: 165 Days and 1.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Intestinal obstruction, characterized by the impaired transit of intestinal contents due to various etiologies, constitutes a prevalent surgical emergency. In certain cases, surgical intervention becomes imperative, wherein intraoperative intestinal decompression is frequently necessitated. Ensuring effective decompression while minimizing contamination of the operative field constitutes a pivotal step that exerts a direct influence on postoperative outcomes.
AIM
To assess the clinical efficacy of cannula-assisted decompression techniques employed during intraoperative intestinal decompression procedures.
METHODS
A retrospective cohort analysis of 70 patients diagnosed with small bowel obstruction and treated at the Department of General Surgery, Anqing Municipal Hospital, between January 2023 and November 2024 was performed. Of these patients, 37 underwent cannula-assisted decompression, while 33 received conventional enterotomy decompression. The clinical utility of the cannula-assisted technique was evaluated by comparing intraoperative variables and postoperative recovery indicators between the two cohorts.
RESULTS
The cannula-assisted group exhibited statistically significant advantages over the conventional decompression group in terms of reduced operative duration for intestinal decompression, increased volume of evacuated intraluminal contents, and diminished contamination of the surgical field (P < 0.05). Furthermore, this group demonstrated enhanced postoperative recovery, as indicated by a more rapid return of bowel function – reflected in shortened time to first flatus – and a lower rate of incisional infections relative to the conventional decompression group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
The application of cannula-assisted decompression techniques effectively facilitates intraoperative decompression of the small intestine, reduces procedural duration, mitigates surgical field contamination, and expedites postoperative recovery.
Core Tip: This study introduces a standardized closed negative-pressure double-cannula technique for intraoperative decompression in small bowel obstruction. Compared to conventional enterotomy, this method was associated with a significantly cleaner surgical field (86.5% vs 63.6% without contamination), greater efficiency (median reduction of 6 minutes in decompression time and 30 minutes in total operation time), and enhanced patient recovery, including a lower surgical site infection rate (10.8% vs 30.3%) and a shorter hospital stay.
