NCT07018414

Abdominal Massage for Gastric Residual Volume in Surgical Patients

The Effect of Abdominal Massage on Gastric Residual Volume and Abdominal Distension in Surgical Intensive Care Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 84 (actual)
• Sponsor: Marmara University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effect of abdominal massage on gastric residual volume (GRV) and abdominal distension in surgical intensive care patients receiving enteral nutrition. The intervention group received 20-minute abdominal massage sessions twice daily for 3 consecutive days. Outcomes included changes in GRV, abdominal circumference, feeding volume, and gastrointestinal tolerance parameters.

Detailed description

Gastric residual volume (GRV) monitoring is commonly used in critically ill patients receiving enteral nutrition to assess gastrointestinal dysfunction, although current guidelines present conflicting recommendations regarding its necessity. Abdominal distension is a frequent complication during enteral feeding in surgical ICU patients. Non-pharmacological interventions such as abdominal massage have shown promise in improving gastrointestinal motility and enteral tolerance. This study included 84 surgical ICU patients who met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to intervention (n=42) and control (n=42) groups. The intervention group received abdominal massage twice daily for 20 minutes over three days. Data were collected using standardized forms and analyzed with appropriate statistical tests including independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U, repeated measures ANOVA, and chi-square tests. The findings suggest that abdominal massage may help stabilize GRV levels, reduce abdominal circumference, and increase nutritional intake without increasing complications.

Conditions

• Gastric Residual Volume
• Abdominal Distension
• Enteral Nutrition
• Massage Therapy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Abdominal Massage	Non-pharmacological intervention involving manual massage of the abdomen to support gastric motility and reduce gastric residual volume and abdominal distension in enterally fed surgical ICU patients.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-04-05
• Primary completion: 2025-04-05
• Completion: 2025-04-05
• First posted: 2025-06-12
• Last updated: 2025-06-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Turkey (Türkiye)