Enhanced Recovery Versus Standard Care After Emergency Abdominal Surgery in Patients Requiring Emergency Laparotomy

June 10, 2026 updated by: Sarfraz Hussain, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital Pakistan - Muzaffargarh

Comparison of Enhanced Recovery Protocol After Surgery Versus Conventional Care in Emergency Laparotomy

This study aims to compare an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol with conventional postoperative care in adults undergoing emergency laparotomy for intestinal obstruction or intestinal perforation.

The main question this study aims to answer is:

• Does the ERAS protocol reduce surgical site infections compared with conventional care after emergency laparotomy?

Researchers will also compare other recovery outcomes between the two groups, including length of hospital stay, occurrence of paralytic ileus (temporary loss of bowel function), time to first bowel movement, and time to start taking fluids by mouth after surgery.

A total of 102 participants will be enrolled and randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive postoperative care according to the ERAS protocol, while the other group will receive conventional postoperative care. All participants will undergo emergency laparotomy using standard surgical and anesthetic techniques.

Participants will:

  • Undergo emergency laparotomy for intestinal obstruction or intestinal perforation.
  • Receive either ERAS-based postoperative care or conventional postoperative care.
  • Be monitored during their hospital stay for recovery and postoperative complications.
  • Be assessed for bowel function recovery, ability to tolerate oral fluids, and length of hospital stay.
  • Be followed for 30 days after surgery to determine whether a surgical site infection develops.

The researchers hypothesize that patients managed with the ERAS protocol will have a lower frequency of surgical site infections and improved postoperative recovery compared with those receiving conventional care.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
102

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Muzaffargarh, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 34200
        • Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital Muzaffargarh

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • acute intestinal obstruction or intestinal perforation
  • planned for emergency laparotomy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant women
  • Patients on chronic steroids
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Malignant ulcers confirmed by histopathological examination
  • laparoscopic surgeries
  • Acute abdominal trauma
  • Patients who require postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) care

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: ERAS Protocol Group
Participants undergoing emergency laparotomy will receive postoperative care according to the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol.
Procedure: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery
A standardized multimodal perioperative care pathway applied to patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. The protocol includes pre-defined components for preoperative optimization, intraoperative management, and postoperative care. Postoperative elements include early mobilization, early initiation of oral fluids and diet, optimized multimodal analgesia, early removal of tubes/drains when appropriate, and structured fluid management.
Active Comparator: Conventional Care Group
Participants undergoing emergency laparotomy will receive standard postoperative care as routinely practiced in the surgical unit.
Procedure: Conventional Postoperative Care
Standard postoperative management routinely practiced in the surgical unit for patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. Care includes traditional postoperative monitoring, routine analgesia, delayed initiation of oral intake, standard mobilization practices, and conventional fluid and supportive management.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Surgical Site Infection
Time Frame: From enrollment within 30 days postoperatively
Frequency of surgical site infection (superficial and deep) occurring within 30 days after emergency laparotomy will be assessed and compared between the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) group and the conventional care group. Surgical site infection will be defined and classified according to standard surgical infection criteria as specified in the study protocol
From enrollment within 30 days postoperatively

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hospital Stay
Time Frame: From surgery to discharge within 30 days
Length of hospital stay will be measured in days from the day of surgery until final disposition (discharge or death).
From surgery to discharge within 30 days
Paralytic Ileus
Time Frame: From surgery till hospital stay within 30 days postoperatively
Incidence of postoperative paralytic ileus defined as presence of abdominal distension with absence of bowel sounds on clinical examination (auscultation for at least one minute).
From surgery till hospital stay within 30 days postoperatively
Time to First Stool
Time Frame: From surgery till hospital stay until discharge within 30 days postoperatively
Time (in days) from surgery to passage of first postoperative stool, indicating return of bowel function.
From surgery till hospital stay until discharge within 30 days postoperatively
Time to First Fluid Diet
Time Frame: Postoperatively during hospital stay till discharge within 30 days postoperatively
Time (in days) from surgery to initiation and tolerance of first oral fluid intake postoperatively.
Postoperatively during hospital stay till discharge within 30 days postoperatively

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital Pakistan - Muzaffargarh

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Muhammad I Seerat, FCPS, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital Muzaffargarh

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 30, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 10, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • U1111-1342-1146

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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