| Methods |
Computer generated number list in consecutively numbered opaque envelopes |
| Participants |
Women due for caesarean section (elective or emergency).
Exclusion criteria: General anaesthesia, on magnesium sulphate, intra‐operative bowel surgery and bowel injury, gastro‐intestinal or medical conditions excluding early feeding. |
| Interventions |
Early feeding: solid food within 8 hours of surgery versus traditional feeding: nothing by mouth for 12‐24 hours, clear fluids up to 24 hours and regular diet 24‐48 hours if liquid tolerated and flatus or stool passed, liquid diet if flatus not passed, in which case full diet was started after 48‐72 hours. Solid food given to early group after 5.0 (SD 1.2) versus 40 (10.6) hours for traditional group. |
| Outcomes |
Primary: Mild ileus symptoms (anorexia, abdominal cramping, non‐persistant nausea and or vomiting). Secondary: severe ileus (abdominal distension, >3 episodes of vomiting in 24 hours and inability to tolerate oral fluids or requiring nasogastric tube or abdominal X‐ray) (0/60 versus 1/60), post operative febrile morbidity (oral temperature >/=37 degrees celsius two times at least 6 hours apart, 24 hours post surgery; post operative time to bowel movement: median 34.5 (IQR 25‐49) versus 51 (43‐62) hours; hospital admission 1/60 versus 2/60; analgesia. |
| Notes |
Exact time of starting oral fluids in the delayed group not clear.
Of 124 enrolled, 2 withdrew and 2 were excluded because of inadequate data. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Allocation concealment? |
Low risk |
A ‐ Adequate |
