Stoma Complications and Management

Creation of stoma is a common procedure done for rehabilitation of patient undergoing gastrointestinal surgery for both benign and malignant conditions. Like any other invasive procedure it come with its own set of complications. The reported incidence of stoma related complication ranges from 20% to 70%. These complications may be divided on the basis of duration from surgery to appearance of first symptom into early and late. Early complications include inappropriate site, electrolyte imbalance, cutaneous complications, retraction, ischemia or necrosis and intestinal obstruction. Late complications include stenosis, parastomal hernia, prolapse. These complications may be managed conservatively or may require additional surgery depending upon the symptom and severity.