Korean J Neurogastroenterol Motil.  2006 Jun;12(1):55-62.

Factors associated with the Development of Paralytic Ileus in Medical ICU Patients on Mechanical Ventilation

• Song JH
• Jung SA
• Kim SE
• Song HJ
• Oh HJ
• Ryu KH
• Yeom HJ
• Kim TH
• Shim KN
• Yoo K

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of patients who develop paralytic ileus while on mechanical ventilation.
METHODS
The medical records of 817 patients on mechanical ventilation from December 2001 to July 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. With the exception of ileus secondary to organic diseases, drugs and the diseases that affect bowel motility, 29 patients (14 in the ileus group and 15 in the control group) were enrolled. Clinical and laboratory findings on admission, at the time of starting ventilator treatment and at the time of the development of ileus were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS
High fever was more common in the ileus group (p<0.05). The prevalence of hypoxemia and hypotension and the parameters of ventilatory settings were not different at the initiation of ventilator treatment. At the time of the development of ileus, the ileus group tended to have a higher leukocyte count (p=0.05), a significantly more prominent rise in the CRP level (p<0.01) and a higher mortality rate (p=0.14).
CONCLUSIONS
In patients on mechanical ventilation, the status of infection or inflammation appears to affect the development of ileus more significantly than the ventilatory settings. Control of underlying inflammatory conditions may be important to prevent ileus.

Keyword

Paralytic ileus; Mechanical ventilation

MeSH Terms

Anoxia
Fever
Humans
Hypotension
Ileus
Inflammation
Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction*
Leukocyte Count
Medical Records
Mortality
Prevalence
Respiration, Artificial*
Retrospective Studies
Ventilators, Mechanical