Effects of abdominal massage on gastrointestinal function in ICU patients: a meta-analysis

Effect of abdominal massage on feeding intolerance in patients receiving enteral nutrition: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of abdominal massage (AM) on feeding intolerance (FI) in patients receiving enteral nutrition (EN).

DESIGN

A systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

We searched seven electronic databases to September 2021. STATA and RevMan were used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

Eleven studies were included. The results revealed that AM could significantly reduce gastric residual volume and abdominal circumference difference, and reduce the incidence of gastric retention, vomiting, abdominal distention (all p < 0.001), diarrhoea (p = 0.02) and constipation (p = 0.002) in the experimental group. One study reported the incidence of aspiration in the control group was higher, but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). The meta-regression analysis showed there was a statistically significant correlation between intervention personnel and gastric residual volume (p = 0.035).

CONCLUSION

AM could reduce the amount and incidence of gastric retention and the changes in abdominal circumference, and significantly reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms, without increasing the incidence of aspiration for EN patients. No Patient or Public Contribution.

Effect of Abdominal Massage with and without Salvia officinalis on Nausea and Vomiting in Patients with Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of abdominal massage with and without Salvia officinalis on nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Methods

In this randomized clinical trial, 60 patients undergoing chemotherapy were placed in one of two intervention groups or in a control group. Abdominal massage with and without Salvia officinalis was performed for 15 minutes twice a day for 3 consecutive days by the patient's companion. The rate of nausea and vomiting was measured with a Visual Analog Scale.

Results

Findings showed that immediately after the intervention, the mean score of nausea in abdominal massage with Salvia officinalis group was lower than that of the control group. The mean score of nausea was not different between abdominal massage and control groups. One week after the intervention, the mean score of nausea was not different among the three groups. In addition, the frequency of vomiting was not different among the three groups.

Conclusion

Abdominal massage with/without Salvia officinalis as a complementary medicine has not considerable effect on reducing nausea and vomiting in patient with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. More studies are needed to achieve better and more accurate results.

The Effect of Abdominal Massage on Gastrointestinal Functions: a Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION

abdominal massage with regular and rhythmic movements has been used to treat some symptoms of diseases.

OBJECTIVES

to review data collected from randomized controlled trials regarding the effect of abdominal massage (AM) on gastrointestinal functions (GFs).

METHODS

we conducted a systematic review of articles accessible through PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. All eligible English RCT- published articles related to the effect of AM on GFs were included in the study from the time of their acceptance until June 2019.

RESULTS

ten studies with 464 patients met the inclusion criteria. Three studies reported that AM alleviated constipation symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis, cancer, and elderly adults. In three studies, AM increased bowel movements in people with constipation and patients undergoing skeletal traction. The results of three studies conducted on intensive care patients showed that AM improved GFs, and decreased abdominal circumference and distension. Two studies showed the effectiveness of AM in reducing the gastric residual volume. However, one study indicated no significant difference between the intervention and control groups. The results of two studies showed that AM did not affect laxative intake, nausea or vomiting, frequency of defecation, and food intake. Furthermore, AM did not decrease ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. The studies reported no adverse effects of AM.

CONCLUSIONS

there was promising evidence for the effect of AM on GFs. However, further studies are needed to measure the unknown dimensions of AM in patients.