Postoperative Ileus

Postoperative ileus (POI) is a transient impairment of bowel function that commonly occurs after intra-abdominal surgery. Although it is an often-expected outcome after major surgery, it not only causes significant morbidity to the patient but also increases length of stay and hospital costs exponentially. Recently, there has been a greater focus on decreasing POI incidence; this has been achieved through enhanced recovery after surgery pathways. By increasing use of nonopioid pain modalities, feeding patients sooner, and focusing on early ambulation, rates of POI have decreased. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.