Gastrointestinal tract motility is transiently impaired following abdominal surgery and other injuries. The paralytic state usually lasts from a few hours to 24 hours in the small bowel, from 24 to 48 hours in the stomach, and from 48 to 72 hours in the colon.1-3 The clinical consequences of postoperative paralytic ileus are profound, contributing to pain and discomfort, increased catabolism because of hindered oral nutrition, immobilisation, increased risk of pulmonary complications, and increased need for hospitalisation. The pathogenic mechanisms include sympathetic inhibitory reflexes, inhibitory mediators of the inflammatory response, humoral …