Randomised controlled trial on early versus late feeding after caesarean section at a teaching hospital in southwest Nigeria

Objectives: To compare the effect of timing on initiation of feeding following caesarean delivery on: incidence of post-operative ileus (POI), time of discontinuation of intravenous fluids (IVFs), length of hospital stay and patient's satisfaction. Study Design: This was a prospective randomised controlled study carried out at the obstetric unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. A total of 118 women undergoing elective or emergency primary caesarean section under regional anaesthesia were randomised into early and late feeding group. Data were collated, and Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 was used for analysis. Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation and categorical variables in frequencies and percentages. Test of significance was done using student t-test for continuous variables and Chi-square for categorical variables. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Materials and Methods: A total of 118 women undergoing elective or emergency primary Caesarean section under regional anesthesia were randomized into early and late feeding group. Data were collated and SPSS version 20 used for analysis. Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation and categorical variables in frequencies and percentages. Test of significance was done using student t test for continuous variables and chi-square for categorical variables. P value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The incidence of mild POI was 3.4% for both early and late groups. There were statistically significant differences between the early and late feeding groups in the discontinuation of IVF (79.9% vs. 20.3%, P < 0.001), mean length of hospital stay (3.10 ± 0.31 vs. 3.73 ± 0.45, P < 0.001) and level of satisfaction with timing of onset of oral feeding (100% vs. 20.3%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Early post-operative feeding is safe, well-tolerated with no adverse surgical outcomes in women following primary caesarean section.