Who will feel sick and bloated after their operation?—predicting post-operative ileus

It was as early as 1906 that John Finney described that post-operative ileus occurs “just at the time when the surgeon has begun to be relieved somewhat of his anxiety, and to congratulate himself that once more his labors have been crowned with success; it is most disheartening to patient and surgeon alike” (1). Although this sense of discomfort for both patient and surgeon remains true today we have come some way in being able to predict the likelihood of its occurrence.