Heated fennel therapy promotes the recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients after complex abdominal surgery: A single-center prospective randomized controlled trial in China.

What this study found

Heated fennel therapy improved postoperative gastrointestinal recovery versus heated rice husk dressing. In the reconstruction arm, time to first flatus was 2.5 +/- 0.5 vs 3.2 +/- 0.6 days, first defecation 3.8 +/- 2.0 vs 4.8 +/- 2.5 days, fasting time 3.1 +/- 1.5 vs 3.8 +/- 2.2 days, and postoperative stay 9.2 +/- 5.1 vs 11.1 +/- 6.4 days; all differences were significant. In the non-reconstruction arm, corresponding values were 1.7 +/- 0.3 vs 2.2 +/- 0.4 days, 2.1 +/- 1.2 vs 2.5 +/- 1.5 days, 1.3 +/- 0.6 vs 1.5 +/- 0.8 days, and 6.6 +/- 3.0 vs 7.5 +/- 3.3 days, also significant. Abdominal…

Study & population

Single-center prospective randomized controlled trial in Wuhan, China, conducted from January 2016 to April 2019.

Intervention

Heated fennel therapy used 500 g fennel heated in a microwave, wrapped in a towel, and placed on the abdomen.

Key limitation

Single-center trial with relatively modest arm sizes and short follow-up limited to the early postoperative period.

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