Influence of enhanced recovery after surgery protocol on first exhaust time after laparoscopic resection of colorectal cancer

Table 3 Comparison of gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms and digestive function, n (%)/mean ± SD

Gastrointestinal symptom1	Conventional group (n = 40)	ERAS group (n = 40)	Test statistic	P value
Abdominal distension	22 (55.0)	11 (27.5)	χ2 = 7.892	< 0.01
Nausea	18 (45.0)	9 (22.5)	χ2 = 6.781	< 0.01
Vomiting	13 (32.5)	5 (12.5)	χ2 = 6.234	< 0.05
Hiccup episodes	9 (22.5)	3 (7.5)	χ2 = 4.587	< 0.05
Abdominal distension severity score	4.5 ± 2.0	2.7 ± 1.4	t = 4.678	< 0.001
Bloating-induced abdominal pain	5.1 ± 2.2	3.0 ± 1.7	t = 4.892	< 0.001
Good to fair appetite on day 3	19 (47.5)	31 (77.5)	χ2 = 11.234	< 0.001
Duration of anorexia (days)	4.0 ± 1.5	2.3 ± 1.0	t = 5.876	< 0.001
24-hour gastric residual volume (mL)	86.8 ± 34.9	47.9 ± 22.3	t = 4.012	< 0.001
Cumulative symptom burden score	15.1 ± 5.0	8.5 ± 3.1	t = 7.012	< 0.001

¹Symptom severity assessed using 0-10 visual analog scale, with higher scores indicating greater severity. Appetite categorized as poor, fair, or good based on percentage of food intake. Cumulative symptom burden represents the sum of all individual symptom severity scores.

ERAS: Enhanced recovery after surgery.