Effect of a 50 mg Caffeine Coffee Intake on Bowel Function Recovery in Postoperative Cesarean Delivery Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To study the effect of a 50 mg caffeine coffee consumption on bowel function recovery after cesarean delivery. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. One hundred sixty-two post-cesarean delivery patients were enrolled and allocated to one of the two groups, Group 1, which included 81 volunteers, with a cup of 50 mg caffeine coffee and Group 2, which also included 81 volunteers, with a cup of warm water at postpartum ward, two hours after the operation. The primary outcome was to compare the time to first flatus after surgery between patients of each group. The secondary outcome was to compare the time to first defecation, time to tolerate a solid diet, and the incidence of postoperative ileus between groups. Results: The mean time to first flatus and standard deviation was 28.93±20.20 and 30.52±16.27 hours, time to first defecation was 62.45±28.00 and 63.45±25.53 hours, and the incidence of postoperative ileus was 17.28% and 19.75%. All results in both groups were not significantly different in the 50 mg caffeine coffee group and the warm water group. Conclusion: Drinking coffee with a cup of 50 mg caffeine coffee after cesarean delivery did not significantly improve the bowel function recovery. The higher dosage of caffeine coffee needs further studies.