Abstract

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether routine nasogastric decompression with a nasogastric tube improved the process and outcome of care in adults with small bowel occlusion. 211 papers were found using the reported searches, of which 1 presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of this paper is tabulated. It is concluded that there is no scientific evidence for the routine use of nasogastric tubes in these patients.