Daily laxative therapy reduces organ dysfunction in mechanically ventilated patients: a phase II randomized controlled trial

Table 2 Effectiveness of the protocol

Variable	Intervention	Control	p value
Variable	(n = 44)	(n = 44)	p value
Number of defecation per day^a	1.3 ± 0.42	0.7 ± 0.56	<0.001
Time to the first defecation, hours^b	14.5 (4.5–24.0)	96.0 (50.5–127.5)	<0.001
Days without defecation, % days	33.1 ± 15.7	62.3 ± 24.5	<0.001
Constipation, number of patients^c	4 (9.1 %)	32 (72.7 %)	<0.001
Enema administration, % days	21.1 (10.8–28.4)	4.5 (0–11.6)	<0.001

p values determined by Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney test as appropriate
Results are expressed as number of patients (%), mean ± standard deviation or median (25th–75th percentile)
^aDefined as the total number of defecations occurring during the treatment period divided by the total days of observation
^bFor patients who did not defecate during the treatment period, the number of hours of observation was considered
^cDefined as the absence of defecation for at least 4 consecutive days

ISSN: 1364-8535