Preoperative enema in patients with pelvic or acetabular fracture: a cross sectional survey / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the current situation of preoperative enema in patients with pelvic or acetabular fracture and how orthopedists think about enema as a preoperative preparation so as to provide clinical guidance.Methods:In a cross-sectional survey conducted in September 2019 in the form of Wechat Questionnaire Star, a questionnaire was sent to 1,000 orthopedists all over the country. The items surveyed included the professional title and the hospital level of the participants. The questions asked included 1. Will enema be performed for a patient with pelvic or acetabular fracture before surgery? 2. If enema is given to a patient before surgery, what method will you choose? 3. What is your purpose of preoperative enema for patients? 4. What are your reasons for not giving a patient enema before surgery? Stratified analysis was conducted by the hospital levels of the participants.Results:A total of 704 orthopedists from all over the country completed the present survey. The questionnaires finished came from 506 (71.88%, 506/704) tertiary hospitals and 198 (28.13%, 198/704) secondary hospitals. The survey showed that 41.90% of the orthopedists (295/704) would give their patients enema before surgery, 26.99% (190/704) would not and 31.11% (219/704) would not necessarily. The main purpose of enema in the orthopedists who advocated enema was to eliminate intestinal gas so as to make intraoperative fluoroscopy more clearly (77.04%, 396/514); the main reason against this measure in those who did not support enema was that it would increase the pain of patients (76.84%, 146/190). Compared with the tertiary hospitals, a higher proportion of orthopedists in the secondary hospitals would perform preoperative enema and choose mechanical enema. Moreover, a higher proportion of orthopedists in the secondary hospitals believed that enema could reduce complications and make intraoperative fluoroscopy clearer.Conclusion:At present, a number of orthopedists in China, especially those in a tertiary hospital, do not give their patients enema before surgery of pelvic or acetabular fracture.