van der Veldt N, Faber WXM, Witteman BJM, Stolwijk-Swüste JM, Nachtegaal J. Effective bowel management in spinal cord injury during inpatient rehabilitation: data from the Dutch spinal cord injury database.
Spinal Cord 2023;
61:492-498. [PMID:
37488351 DOI:
10.1038/s41393-023-00916-z]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective Observational Study.
OBJECTIVES
To describe bowel management in individuals with a recently acquired spinal cord injury (SCI) both at admittance and discharge from first inpatient rehabilitation, and to determine factors that contribute to effective bowel management (EBM) at discharge.
SETTING
Specialized rehabilitation centers in the Netherlands.
METHODS
Data from the Dutch Spinal Cord Injury Database (DSCID) collected between 2015 and 2019 was used. EBM was defined by the variables of stool frequency and fecal incontinence. After univariate analysis, a multivariate regression analysis was conducted.
RESULTS
Of 1,210 participants, 818 (68%) did not have EBM at admittance. At discharge, 308 (38%) did still not have EBM (in total 33% of all participants). The odds of having EBM at discharge was 2.82 times higher for participants with ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS) D compared to those with AIS-A (95% CI: 1.38-5.78). Participants with non-traumatic SCI had higher odds of having EBM than those with traumatic SCI (OR: 0.59, 95% CI 0.38-0.91). Use of suppositories, small enema, medication influencing bowel function, and oral laxatives at admittance did not influence EBM significantly at discharge.
CONCLUSIONS
Bowel management improves during first inpatient rehabilitation. However, realizing EBM after a recently acquired SCI is a challenge. This endorses the importance of bowel management during inpatient rehabilitation, especially for people with AIS-A and non-traumatic etiology.
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