Effect of Abdominal Massage on Patients in Intensive Care Unit

Bowel motility can be affected by many factors such as immobilization, lack of fiber in the nutritional formula, inadequate fluid intake, and lack of privacy for toileting in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Abdominal massage, which is one of the effective methods to increase intestinal motility, is accepted as an intervention that can be safely applied in patients.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of abdominal massage applied to patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit on sepsis, survival, discharge time from intensive care unit, amount and duration of antibiotic use.

Hypotheses H0: Abdominal massage application has no effect on sepsis, survival, discharge time from intensive care unit, amount and duration of antibiotic use in patients hospitalized in intensive care unit.

H1: Abdominal massage application has an effect on sepsis, survival, discharge time from intensive care unit, amount and duration of antibiotic use in patients hospitalized in intensive care unit.

In this randomized controlled study, the data of patients who received abdominal massage for 5 days during routine physiotherapy applications and those who did not will be recorded. Randomization will be performed in a 1:1 ratio using a computer generated randomization schedule. The effect of abdominal massage on sepsis, survival, discharge time from intensive care, amount and duration of antibiotic use will be examined by using the data of 2 groups with and without abdominal massage in a randomized controlled trial.

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Key information

Conditions

Intensive Care Unit Patients Abdominal Massage Infections Inflammation Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sepsis Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Patients aged between 18 to 80 years
Patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit for more than 3 days
Body Mass Index less than 30 kg/m²
Patients who are not mobilized out of bed
Patients without any intervention contraindicating abdominal massage

Exclusion criteria

History of abdominal surgery
Active gastrointestinal bleeding
Patients discharged from ICU within less than 5 days after enrollment

Treatment and study plan

Abdominal Massage

Other

In addition to routine physiotherapy, abdominal massage will be applied by the physiotherapist. The patient is positioned supine. The abdominal muscles are stroked three times, followed by colon stroking performed three times, and colon kneading performed three times. The massage is concluded by repeating the colon and abdominal stroking techniques in the same manner. Patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit will routinely receive abdominal massage twice daily by the physiotherapist

Primary outcomes

Incidence of Sepsis During Follow-Up

Time frame: From ICU admission through Day 5 of follow-up

Sepsis will be assessed and recorded according to the Sepsis-3 definition, which requires the presence of suspected or confirmed infection and an acute increase in SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) score of ≥2 points from baseline.

Data for sepsis diagnosis will be collected from daily clinical evaluations, vital signs, laboratory parameters (white blood cell count, procalcitonin, CRP, blood cultures), and organ function assessments. All assessments will be performed by ICU physicians and verified using electronic medical records.
Survival Rate During Follow-Up

Time frame: From ICU admission through Day 5 of follow-up

Survival will be assessed by recording the number of patients who remain alive from ICU admission until the end of the 5-day follow-up period.
Length of ICU Stay

Time frame: From ICU admission through Day 5 of follow-up

Length of stay in the intensive care unit will be measured in days, calculated as the number of days between the date of ICU admission and the date of ICU discharge. Information will be extracted from patient medical records.
Duration of Antibiotic Use

Time frame: From ICU admission through Day 5 of follow-up, recorde in days

The total number of days each patient receives antibiotic treatment will be recorded during the 5-day follow-up period in the ICU. Data will be collected from medication administration records in the patient's medical file.
Amount of Antibiotic Consumption

Time frame: From ICU admission through Day 5 of follow-up, recorded in milligrams (mg)

The cumulative amount of antibiotics administered to each patient during the 5-day follow-up period will be recorded in milligrams (mg). Data will be obtained from electronic medication administration records in the ICU.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Karadeniz Technical University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Investigation of the Effect of Abdominal Massage on Patients in Intensive Care Unit: Randomised Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start: 2025
Primary completion: 2025
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Apr 30, 2025
Registry last updated: Apr 30, 2025

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.

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