Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Abdominal Massage on Gastrointestinal Symptoms After Head and Neck Cancer Surgery

This study aimed to evaluate whether abdominal massage could reduce abdominal pain, constipation, and gas/bloating in patients receiving enteral nutrition through a nasogastric tube after surgery for head and neck cancer. A total of 70 patients participated in this randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The intervention group (35 patients) received abdominal massage for 15 minutes twice daily over three consecutive postoperative days, in addition to routine nursing care. The control group (35 patients) received routine nursing care without abdominal massage. Abdominal pain, constipation, and gas/bloating were assessed using standardized measurement tools. Assessments were performed twice daily, in the morning and evening, during the first three postoperative days. The study was conducted to investigate whether abdominal massage could be a useful non-drug nursing intervention for managing gastrointestinal symptoms in patients recovering from head and neck cancer surgery.