Effect of Abdominal Massage on Constipation After Cardiac Surgery

Background and Aim: Although the incidence of gastrointestinal complications after cardiovascular surgery is reported to be rare, it has been reported that patients experience problems with constipation within the week after discharge. The presence of abdominal distension due to constipation after cardiac surgery may lead to prolonged wound healing, paralytic ileus and gastric dilatation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of abdominal massage on constipation after cardiac surgery.

Methods: A prospective, randomised controlled quasi-experimental study was conducted in the cardiovascular surgery clinic of a public hospital between September 2022 and July 2023. A power analysis was performed to determine the sample size. A total of 130 patients were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group using a simple randomisation method. Data were collected using a 21-item form from the first day after surgery. Burping and defecation times of the patients were evaluated and recorded.

Results: The mean age of the experimental group was 55.2±13.3 years, while the mean age of the control group was 60.4±10.6 years (p=0.015). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, bowel preparation and preoperative fasting times. It was observed that bowel sounds started earlier in the experimental group (70.8% on the first postoperative day) compared to the control group (46.2% on the first postoperative day) (X2=16.629; p=0.005). The first burping time measurements in the control group (x̄=46.415 hours) were higher than those in the experimental group (x̄=31.262 hours). Postoperative defecation time was longer in the control group (x̄=99.51 hours) than in the experimental group (x̄=61.611 hours).