The Effect of Abdominal Massage on Gastric Residual Volume among Critically Ill Patients Receiving Enteral Feeding

Abstract

1.ABSTRACT Background: Critically ill patients who receive enteral nutrition suffer from many gastric complications and gastric intolerance seems to be the most common gastrointestinal complications. Abdominal massage is a non-pharmacological technique easily applied by nurses to decrease gastric intolerance without side effects. Aim: the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of abdominal massage on gastric residual volume between critically ill patients receiving enteral feeding. Method: A quasi-experimental design was used to conduct this study in the medical intensive care unit of Kafrelshiekh University Hospital. A convenience sample of 110 patients was randomly divided into the massage group (n=55) and the control group (n=55). The massage group received the abdominal massage intervention and the control group received the routine care of the unit. Enteral nutrition follow up tool was used to collect data for this study. Results: The results revealed statistically significant differences between both groups regarding the implementation of abdominal massage (P =0.001) . Conclusion: Implementation of the abdominal massage is significantly effective in reducing the gastric residual volume among critically ill patients receiving enteral nutrition. Recommendations: Critical care nurses should incorporate the abdominal massage as a part of daily routine care in intensive care units to achieve good patient outcomes. To enhance the knowledge regarding how to care for critically ill patients receiving enteral feeding, further extensive studies are recommended.