ABSTRACT
Purpose@#This study aimed to assess combined effects of early oral feeding after Cesarean section (C/S) under regional anesthesia on bowel function, gastrointestinal complications and surgical recovery. @*Methods@#A systematic literature search was conducted using KISS, RISS, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, CENTRAL and Google Scholar to identify randomized clinical trials comparing early oral feeding (EOF) with delayed oral feeding (DOF) after C/S. Outcome variables were bowel function and gastrointestinal complications and surgical recovery. Effect size was calculated using weighted mean differences (WMDs) and relative risks (RRs), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). @*Results@#Seven studies involving 1,911 patients from 568 studies, 7 studies were included in meta-analysis. EOF was significantly associated with shorter time to recover bowel movement compared with DOF (WMD, - 2.50; CI, - 3.50~- 1.50). EOF was not associated with nausea (RR, 1.15; CI, 0.87~1.53) and vomiting (RR, 0.96; CI, 0.65~1.42), but lower incidence of abdominal distension (RR, 0.70; CI, 0.50~0.98). EOF was significantly associated with shorter time to discontinuation of intravenous fluids (WMD, - 8.88; 95% CI, - 16.65~- 1.11) and removal of urinary catheter (WMD, - 15.23; CI, - 25.62~- 4.85). @*Conclusion@#This meta-analysis provides evidence that EOF after C/S under regional anesthesia not only accelerates return of bowel function and surgical recovery but also reduces gastrointestinal complications. These results suggest that EOF should be offered to women who have undergone C/S to improve the recovery experience and reduce overall medical costs.