Comparison of oral intake profiles at 2 and 8 hours following cesarean section under spinal anesthesia

Background: After cesarean section, practices vary considerably between institutions and individual practitioners, ranging from early oral fluids or food to delayed introduction of oral fluids and food which may be after 24 hours or more. This study was carried out to assess and compare the outcome, length of hospital stay and maternal satisfaction of early (2 hours) and late (8 hours) postoperative feeding after uncomplicated cesarean section done under spinal anesthesia.

  Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 112 women undertaking uncomplicated cesarean section under regional anesthesia from August 2008 to August 2009 were randomly assigned to early feeding ( 2 hours after operation) and late feeding (conventional 8 hours after operation) groups. Two groups were compared for the occurrence of postoperative outcome, possible complications, length of hospital stay and patient´s satisfaction. Chi Squared and t-tests were used to analyze the data. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

  Results : There were no significant differences in the demographic data and operation variables between the two groups. No significant differences were noted between the groups regarding post feeding nausea and vomiting, post operative ileus and other complications and duration of hospitalization. Compared with the late postoperative feeding, the early feeding group had a shorter mean time to first flatus ( p =0.03) and higher satisfaction rate ( p <0.0001).

  Conclusion: Early feeding (2 hours) after uncomplicated cesarean in low-risk woman is associated with higher maternal satisfaction without higher rates of gastrointestinal and non gastrointestinal complications