Chewing Gum Facilitates an Earlier Return to Bowel Function in Pediatric Scoliosis Patients: A Prospective Randomized Study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of chewing gum on reducing post-operative ileus and reducing post-operative gastrointestinal symptoms in pediatric patients undergoing surgical correction of scoliosis. This study would provide minimal risk to its study population, and has the opportunity to provide a benefit to patients undergoing scoliosis surgery. If shown to be effective, this could lead to changes and improvement of the post-operative course for pediatric scoliosis patients.

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Key information

Conditions

Scoliosis Bone Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Spinal Curvatures Spinal Diseases

Age range

10 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The Children's Hospital of Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama, 35233, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Otherwise meets criteria for surgical correction of scoliosis
Mental capacity to understand the purpose of the study
Idiopathic scoliosis or neuromuscular scoliosis with mild cerebral involvement
Posterior surgery approach only

Exclusion criteria

Unable to safely chew gum due to oropharyngeal issues or airway issues
History of GI surgery (G-tube, fundoplication, ostomy etc...)
Anterior approach

Treatment and study plan

Chewing Gum

Other

Subjective assessment - subjective assessment of abdominal pain and nausea.

Control

Other

No intervention will be assessed for this group.

Primary outcomes

Time to return of normal bowel function.

Time frame: 72-96 hours

Patients are interviewed daily as inpatient and then several days after surgery to determine the time (reported in hours post-operative) first flatus and first bowel movement was experienced.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Use of Chewing Gum Reduces Post-operative Ileus and Gastrointestinal Complications in Pediatric Scoliosis Patients.

Important dates

Study start: 2009
Primary completion: 2013
Study completion: 2013
First posted: Jun 17, 2014
Registry last updated: Jun 17, 2014

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed