Postoperative ileus is one of the most common complications following abdominal surgery. Despite significant advances in prevention, postoperative ileus continues to be a clinical issue. For patients experiencing postoperative ileus after a bowel resection, current treatment includes bowel rest, reduction of oral diet, and possible nasogastric tube placement while waiting for the postoperative ileus to resolve. Postoperative ileus results in postoperative complications, discomfort, and increases hospital stay. Electro-acupuncture treatment could potentially expedite the return of bowel function, reducing length of stay and increasing comfort. Additionally, acupuncture has been shown to be helpful for pain and nausea management, and thus may reduce the need for opioid and anti-nausea medications.~This study includes two groups. Both groups will be treated with conservative standard care (SOC), including bowel rest with nothing by mouth (NPO) status and placement of nasogastric tube if clinically necessary. Participants in both groups will continue on SOC postoperative recovery care with early feeding and ambulation, along with minimizing opioid use.~Group A: Participants assigned to group A will receive the SOC treatment described above and will also be asked to complete questionnaires to rate their symptoms.~Group B: Participants assigned to group B will receive the SOC described above and be given a daily 20-30 minute acupuncture treatment from the time of randomization until the return
The goal of this study is to learn if electro-acupuncture is a feasible treatment option for postoperative ileus after abdominal surgery. The second goal of this study is to evaluate the time to resolution of postoperative ileus after receiving electro-acupuncture treatments.