Evaluating self-administered sucralfate enemas for reducing rectal bleeding in patients with radiation proctitis
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Evaluating self-administered sucralfate enemas for reducing rectal bleeding in patients with radiation proctitis

Nga Fan Shum Colorectal nurse consultant, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
Hoi Kwok Choi Associate consultant, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
Rockson Wei Consultant, Queen Mary College, Hong Kong
Chi Chung Foo Dominic Clinical associate professor, Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong

Why you should read this article:
  • To update your knowledge of radiation proctitis and rectal bleeding in patients with pelvic organ cancer

  • To learn about the use of nurse-led patient education followed by self-administration of sucralfate enemas

  • To consider how self-administration of sucralfate enemas can reduce rectal bleeding and reduce hospital admission

Radiation proctitis is relatively common in patients with pelvic organ cancer and manifests primarily as rectal bleeding. Topical sucralfate is thought to minimise radiation-induced rectal bleeding. Compared with argon plasma coagulation (APC) or formalin instillation, sucralfate enemas do not require hospital admission and have minimal adverse effects. This prospective service evaluation investigated the effectiveness of nurse-led patient education followed by self-administration of sucralfate enemas for reducing rectal bleeding in patients with radiation proctitis. Participants (n=42) were recruited via convenience sampling among patients with radiation proctitis seen in the colorectal outpatient clinic of Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. Participants followed a treatment protocol of self-administered sucralfate enemas accompanied by nurse-led education. The primary outcome was a reduction in rectal bleeding. The secondary outcomes were reductions in hospital admissions, use of APC and use of blood transfusions. The authors propose that self-administered sucralfate enemas can effectively control rectal bleeding in patients experiencing radiation proctitis but that this needs to be accompanied by optimal nurse-led patient education. Further research is needed to determine the long-term comparative effectiveness of these interventions.

Cancer Nursing Practice. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2024.e1866

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

ccfoo@hku.hk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Shum NF, Choi HK, Wei R et al (2024) Evaluating self-administered sucralfate enemas for reducing rectal bleeding in patients with radiation proctitis. Cancer Nursing Practice. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2024.e1866

Published online: 16 September 2024

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