Postoperative IleusNCT07014046
Simple Bed Exercises for Reducing Postoperative Ileus in Colorectal Surgical Patients.
A study testing Simple bed exercises in people with Postoperative Ileus, run by The University of Hong Kong at 1 site in Hong Kong.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of simple bed exercises for reducing postoperative ileus among colorectal surgical patients who have completed colorectal surgery and are experiencing postoperative ileus. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Postoperative Ileus
- What is being tested?
- Simple bed exercises
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 76 participants
- Where
- 1 siteHong Kong
- Study dates
- 1 Dec 2024to 31 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Male or female patients aged >/=18 years,
- patients who are diagnosed with colorectal problems that require elective colorectal surgical intervention either anastomosis or stoma, either open or laparoscopic, and the use of any type of postoperative analgesic,
- orientate to have informed consent and who have signed informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Patients who are not in the list of elective colorectal surgeries
- Patients who require intraoperative and long postoperative intensive care >1 day,
- with a history of mental disorder or confusion,
- patients with any active limitation which affects adherence to the study procedures like severe dementia and physical limitation.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Hong Kong1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
United Christian Hospital
Hong Kong
Sin Kwan Siu, 852+68740563, u3596437@connect.hku.hk
About this study
Official title: Simple Bed Exercises for Reducing Postoperative Ileus in Colorectal Surgical Patients, a Randomized Controlled Trial
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of simple bed exercises for reducing postoperative ileus among colorectal surgical patients who have completed colorectal surgery and are experiencing postoperative ileus. The research team will recruit participants in list of elective colorectal surgeries from the Department of Surgery in the United Christian Hospital. The potential participants will first be assessed for eligibility by completing a simple screening assessment, which may take 10 minutes at facilities within the United Christian Hospital. If the patients meet the inclusion criteria, they will continue to take part in the study.
The participants will be assigned randomly (1:1) to either Group 1 or Group 2 via computer randomization. Participants of Group 1 will receive education for simple bed exercises after colorectal surgery. Participants will be asked to have simple bed exercises for 15 minutes, three times a day starting from postoperative day one, until passing the first stool after surgery. All sessions will be conducted by surgical nurse in the United Christian Hospital. Surgical nurses will educate simple bed exercises with exercise video. Participants will be instructed to practise the simple bed exercises 3 times per day for 15 minutes each time at before breakfast, before lunch and before dinner, on top of the standard usual care. Participants in Group 2 will be placed under control group to receive standard usual care.
All participants are required to record defecation, flatus and tolerance of oral intake starting from postoperative day one. Records will take place at 3-time points for both groups: at breakfast, at lunch and at dinner time. Each time participants must complete one set of record on the logbook provided by nurses. If necessary, clinical records including medical history and follow-up appointment time will be retrieved from electronic medical records.
- Conditions
- Postoperative Ileus
- Being tested
- Simple bed exercises
- Keywords
- postoperative ileus, exercise
- Medical subject headings
- Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Simple bed exercisesOther
The participants will be asked to perform exercise by lying flat on bed in supine position with their eyes look towards to the ceiling of the ward and start focusing on deep breathing exercises with slow inhalations and exhalations. These exercises aim to achieve regular pattern of abdominal muscles and improve the coordination between breathing, abdominal muscle contractions and colonic propulsions. After one-minute deep-breathing exercises, intervention group participants will be asked to pull both knees towards chest in return and turning body from one side to another while lying on bed.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple bed exercises arm | Experimental | The participants will be asked to perform exercise by lying flat on bed in supine position with their eyes look towards to the ceiling of the ward and start focusing on deep breathing exercises with slow inhalations and exhalations. These exercises aim to achieve regular pattern of abdominal muscles and improve the coordination between breathing, abdominal muscle contractions and colonic propulsions. After one-minute deep-breathing exercises, intervention group participants will be asked to pull both knees towards chest in return and turning body from one side to another while lying on bed. Receives: Other: Simple bed exercises |
| control arm | No intervention | usual care |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Time to first defecation
Time to first defecation is defined as the interval between the end of the operation and the first observed passage of stool from rectum/ stoma. It will be observed via the stoma bag if defecation occur or by asking the patients or by reviewing the input and output chart when changing diapers for patients. All this observation will be done by nurses. Time to first defecation is expected to be shorter in intervention group if the intervention is effective for solving postoperative ileus as bowel movement resume faster. Time to first defecation is reliable as no defecation implied postoperative ileus.
Measured: after surgery until first defecation (up to 7 days after operation)
Secondary outcomes (2)
time to first flatus
Time to first flatus is defined as the interval between the end of the operation and the first passage of flatus via rectum reported by patients or in stoma bag observed by nurses. The intervention is expected to be effective if it takes a shorter time to first flatus for intervention group than that of the control group.
Measured: after surgery until first flatus (up to 7 days after operation).
tolerance to oral diet
Time to tolerate oral diet is defined as tolerance of oral diet for at least 24 hours without any nausea and vomiting. Patients who do not tolerate oral diet will have symptoms of nausea and vomiting as postoperative ileus occur. Nasogastric tubes will be inserted to prevent aspiration and total parenteral nutrition will be applied and keep patient for sips of water or nil by mouth except medications to allow time for solving postoperative ileus in hospital stays.
Measured: after surgery until tolerance of oral diet without any nausea and vomiting (up to 15 days after operation).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Jun 2025
- Study start1 Dec 2024
- Primary completion30 Sep 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Postoperative IleusStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The University of Hong KongThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 76 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Hong Kong
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Cheung Shuk-Ting, The University of Hong Kong
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07014046
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- CIRB-2024-115-1
- Status last verified
- Jun 2025
- First submitted
- 27 May 2025
- Last updated
- 18 Jun 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 18 Jun 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Simple Bed Exercises for Reducing Postoperative Ileus in Colorectal Surgical Patients, a Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07014046
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CIRB-2024-115-1
- Conditions
- Postoperative Ileus
- Keywords
- postoperative ileus, exercise
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 76 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Hong KongUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Jun 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of simple bed exercises for reducing postoperative ileus among colorectal surgical patients who have completed colorectal surgery and are experiencing postoperative ileus. The research team will recruit participants in list of elective colorectal surgeries from the Department of Surgery in the United Christian Hospital. The potential participants will first be assessed for eligibility by completing a simple screening assessment, which may take 10 minutes at facilities within the United Christian Hospital. If the patients meet the inclusion criteria, they will continue to take part in the study.
The participants will be assigned randomly (1:1) to either Group 1 or Group 2 via computer randomization. Participants of Group 1 will receive education for simple bed exercises after colorectal surgery. Participants will be asked to have simple bed exercises for 15 minutes, three times a day starting from postoperative day one, until passing the first stool after surgery. All sessions will be conducted by surgical nurse in the United Christian Hospital. Surgical nurses will educate simple bed exercises with exercise video. Participants will be instructed to practise the simple bed exercises 3 times per day for 15 minutes each time at before breakfast, before lunch and before dinner, on top of the standard usual care. Participants in Group 2 will be placed under control group to receive standard usual care.
All participants are required to record defecation, flatus and tolerance of oral intake starting from postoperative day one. Records will take place at 3-time points for both groups: at breakfast, at lunch and at dinner time. Each time participants must complete one set of record on the logbook provided by nurses. If necessary, clinical records including medical history and follow-up appointment time will be retrieved from electronic medical records.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Simple bed exercises arm | Experimental | Other: Simple bed exercisesThe participants will be asked to perform exercise by lying flat on bed in supine position with their eyes look towards to the ceiling of the ward and start focusing on deep breathing exercises with slow inhalations and exhalations. These exercises aim to achieve regular pattern of abdominal muscles and improve the coordination between breathing, abdominal muscle contractions and colonic propulsions. After one-minute deep-breathing exercises, intervention group participants will be asked to pull both knees towards chest in return and turning body from one side to another while lying on bed. |
| control arm | No intervention | –usual care |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Male or female patients aged >/=18 years,
- patients who are diagnosed with colorectal problems that require elective colorectal surgical intervention either anastomosis or stoma, either open or laparoscopic, and the use of any type of postoperative analgesic,
- orientate to have informed consent and who have signed informed consent.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Patients who are not in the list of elective colorectal surgeries
- Patients who require intraoperative and long postoperative intensive care >1 day,
- with a history of mental disorder or confusion,
- patients with any active limitation which affects adherence to the study procedures like severe dementia and physical limitation.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Simple bed exercisesThe participants will be asked to perform exercise by lying flat on bed in supine position with their eyes look towards to the ceiling of the ward and start focusing on deep breathing exercises with slow inhalations and exhalations. These exercises aim to achieve regular pattern of abdominal muscles and improve the coordination between breathing, abdominal muscle contractions and colonic propulsions. After one-minute deep-breathing exercises, intervention group participants will be asked to pull both knees towards chest in return and turning body from one side to another while lying on bed. | Other | Simple bed exercises arm |
Primary outcome
Time to first defecation
Time frame: after surgery until first defecation (up to 7 days after operation)
Time to first defecation is defined as the interval between the end of the operation and the first observed passage of stool from rectum/ stoma. It will be observed via the stoma bag if defecation occur or by asking the patients or by reviewing the input and output chart when changing diapers for patients. All this observation will be done by nurses. Time to first defecation is expected to be shorter in intervention group if the intervention is effective for solving postoperative ileus as bowel movement resume faster. Time to first defecation is reliable as no defecation implied postoperative ileus.
2 secondary outcomes
time to first flatus
Time frame: after surgery until first flatus (up to 7 days after operation).
tolerance to oral diet
Time frame: after surgery until tolerance of oral diet without any nausea and vomiting (up to 15 days after operation).
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 18 Jun 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
Related trials for Postoperative Ileus
RecruitingPhase 4
Effect of Tegileridine on Postoperative Bowel Function Recovery in Abdominal Surgery
Pain, Postoperative, Postoperative Ileus
Not yet recruitingPhase 2
TU-100 for Accelerating GI Recovery After Major Abdominopelvic Surgery (RC & CAWR)
Delay in GI Recovery/Postoperative Ileus (POI)
RecruitingObservational study
The Value of Bowel Sounds in Evaluating Postoperative Intestinal Function Recovery in Colorectal Cancer Patients
Bowel Sounds, Colorectal Cancer
Recruiting
Oral Lactulose for Gastrointestinal Recovery After Complex Appendectomy
Ileus Postoperative, Gastrointestinal Function
Recruiting
Effect of Liposomal Bupivacaine TAPB Combined With Oxycodone PCIA on Postoperative Gastrointestinal Recovery in Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery
Postoperative Pain, Postoperative Ileus
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Simple bed exercises in people with Postoperative Ileus, run by The University of Hong Kong at 1 site in Hong Kong.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Jun 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Hong Kong. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Sin Kwan Siu, Doctoral (852+68740563, u3596437@connect.hku.hk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Time to first defecation (time frame: after surgery until first defecation (up to 7 days after operation)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Jun 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 1 Nov 2026.