An interventional study of Food Related Visual Stimuli Exposure in Post Operative Patients, sponsored by Casey Morehouse, DO. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-21.
Sponsored by Casey Morehouse, DO · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if exposure to food related visual stimuli during the postoperative period can improve gastrointestinal recovery after abdominal surgery in adult patients.The main questions it aims to answer are:
Researchers will compare patients receiving structured food related programming during meal periods with patients receiving standard postoperative care to see if food related visual stimulation improves postoperative gastrointestinal recovery.
Participants will:
Postoperative ileus and delayed return of gastrointestinal function remain common complications following abdominal surgery and contribute to patient discomfort, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare utilization. Despite advances in perioperative management and implementation of enhanced recovery protocols, impaired bowel function after surgery continues to affect recovery. Early enteral stimulation has been associated with improved gastrointestinal recovery; however, many patients experience appetite suppression or difficulty tolerating oral intake during the immediate postoperative period.
Digestive activity is influenced by the cephalic phase response, a physiologic process in which sensory cues associated with food can activate neural pathways involved in digestion prior to food consumption. Visual food cues have been shown to affect appetite and physiologic responses related to feeding behavior, suggesting a potential mechanism through which noninvasive sensory stimulation could influence postoperative gastrointestinal recovery.
This study evaluates a structured behavioral intervention using food-related television programming during peri-meal periods as an adjunct to routine postoperative care. Participants will be prospectively randomized to receive either scheduled exposure to food-related visual stimuli or standard postoperative care. The intervention is designed to provide a simple, low-cost, non-pharmacologic strategy that can be implemented using existing hospital resources without altering routine clinical management.
The findings from this study may provide insight into whether sensory stimulation through visual food exposure can enhance postoperative recovery and serve as a scalable adjunct to current perioperative care practices
167 studies on the registry are indexed under Ileus; 23 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 150 is above the median of 90 across 138 interventional studies indexed under Ileus.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants randomized to the intervention arm will receive standard postoperative care in addition to a structured behavioral intervention consisting of exposure to food-related visual stimuli during defined peri-meal periods throughout their postoperative hospitalization. Participants will be asked to watch food related television programming (e.g., cooking, baking, or food-centered shows) for a minimum of 15 minutes during each designated meal window: breakfast (7:00-9:00 AM), lunch (12:00-2:00 PM), and dinner (5:00-7:00 PM). Programming will be delivered using existing in-room hospital television resources and will not alter routine clinical care or dietary management. Compliance with the intervention will be monitored through participant self-report and periodic study team check-ins. Participants will continue all standard postoperative management according to routine clinical practice
Behavioral: Food Related Visual Stimuli Exposure
Participants randomized to the no-intervention (control) arm will receive standard postoperative care according to routine clinical practice without structured exposure to food-related visual stimuli. Participants may watch television at their discretion during hospitalization; however, they will not receive prompts, assigned programming, or scheduled meal-time viewing instructions. No restrictions will be placed on normal television use or activities during recovery. All other perioperative and postoperative care will remain unchanged and will be managed according to standard clinical protocols
This intervention consists of a structured, non-pharmacologic behavioral exposure to food related visual stimuli delivered during predefined peri-meal periods throughout the postoperative hospitalization. Participants will view food centered television programming (e.g., cooking, baking, or food preparation shows) for a minimum of 15 minutes during each designated meal window: breakfast (7:00-9:00 AM), lunch (12:00-2:00 PM), and dinner (5:00-7:00 PM). Unlike standard television viewing or unrestricted media use, the intervention uses scheduled exposure to food-specific visual content intended to provide cephalic phase sensory stimulation during times corresponding with routine eating periods. The intervention is delivered using existing hospital television resources and does not involve medications, dietary modification, invasive procedures, or additional medical devices. Adherence will be assessed through participant self-report and periodic study team monitoring.
Incidence of postoperative ileus
Time frame: Until hospital discharge, can vary from 2-10 days
Return of bowel function
measured by time to first flatus and/or time to first bowel movement;
Time frame: from enrollment to the end of admission, can vary from 2-10 days
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data collected during this study will not be shared outside of the research team. De-identified aggregate study results may be reported in presentations or publications, but individual level participant data will not be made publicly available
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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