Post-operative ileus in elderly patients

The two groups of patients resulted similar for sex, comorbidity, previous surgical abdominal history, stage of tumor, duration of operation and postoperative pain. The first passage of flatus was detected after 72 ± 9 hours in the patients of first group and after 48 ± 12 hours in the subjects of second group (p < 0.0001). The first defecation occurred after 76 ± 10 hours in the patients of first group and after 55 ± 12 hours in those of second group (p < 0.01). Postoperative stay was 8.0 ± 2.7 days in the first group of patients and 7.2 ± 3.0 days in the second group (p < 0.05). Data collected from our study showed that the elderly patients have a more prolonged postoperative intestinal adynamia. This finding could be explained with the more intense acute inflammatory response observed in these patients.