Prucalopride for Postoperative Ileus in Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Surgery

Postoperative ileus (POI), an interruption of bowel motility function, virtually occurs in all patients undergoing major gastrointestinal(GI) surgery. This functional impairment persists for a variable duration, usually resolving within 1 day in the small intestine, 1 to 3 days in the stomach and 3 to 5 days in the colon. Therefore, time of return of colonic function is the the major determinant of duration of POI. Attempts to reduce the duration of POI have prompted the implementation of fast track surgery including early removal of the nasogastric tube, early feeding, alvimopan, gum chewing, and prompt ambulation. However, it is still reported to be more than 4-5 days in most of the randomized trial. Therefore, methods specifically aiming at promoting postoperative colon motility may further enhance the GI function recovery, and prucalopride may be one of the options. Prucalopride, a substituted benzamide with selective 5-HT4 agonist activity, has been shown previously to significant improve colon motility and transit, but it only has mild effect on gastric or small bowel transit. The drug is well tolerated with no significant adverse effects. Recently, prucalopride has been approved in Europe and America for the symptomatic treatment of chronic constipation in women in whom laxatives fail to provide adequate relief. However, its usage in the postoperative period has not been tested. This study will test the ability and safety of prucalopride given 24hrs after GI surgery to hasten the recovery of GI function.