COMPARATIVE OUTCOME OF EARLY AND STANDARD ORAL FEEDING AFTER EMERGENCY BOWEL SURGERY

Informed consent will be obtained from patients or their legal representatives in cases where the patient is unconscious. Patient information, including names, ages, gender, smoking history, comorbidities, and the indication for emergency surgical procedures, will be documented. All surgical procedures will follow standard protocols and will be conducted by a single surgical team led by at least two consultants, each with more than five years of experience. All 60 patients will be randomly allocated into two groups using a random number table: Group A (early oral feeding), consisting of 30 patients, and Group B (standard oral feeding), consisting of 30 patients. In Group A, a liquid diet will be initiated within 24 hours after surgery and, if well-tolerated without vomiting, will transition to a regular diet over the subsequent 24 hours. On the other hand, in Group B, a standard diet (late feeding), including liquid filtrates, will only be introduced after the resolution of the ileus, during which these patients will remain NPO (nothing by mouth). Tolerance to oral feeding will be evaluated by monitoring for vomiting within the first 24 hours after initiating a regular diet, and this evaluation will be conducted by the researcher herself. Patients will be discharged from the hospital once they have tolerated a regular diet for at least 24 hours and the duration of hospital stay will be noted as well. All data will be documented on a predefined proforma. Other variables like febrile episode and need for additional NPO will also be recorded.