Outcome of Early Reversal of Intestinal Stoma: A Cross-Sectional Study

Author(s): Md. Monoarul Islam Talukdar, Nazia Islam, Mohammed Tanvir Jalal, Mir Rasekh Alam Ovi, Shamima Nasrin, Md. Shahadot Hossain Sheikh.

Background: Early reversal of temporary intestinal stoma might bring good clinical outcome as like as late reversal in the context of anastomotic leakage, postoperative ileus, sepsis, intraoperative bleeding etc. This may avoid stoma related morbidity & complications. This study was designed to find out the short-term outcomes of early reversal of intestinal stoma within 14 days of index surgery.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the Department of Colorectal Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study duration was 16 months, from March 2021 to June 2022. During this period, a total of 15 patients of either sex who underwent colorectal surgery with employment of intestinal stoma during the study period were included in the study following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Preoperative checking of anastomotic leakage of index surgery was performed by water soluble rectal contrast imaging prior to selection of cases.

Result: The study included 15 participants with relatively even age and gender distributions. The majority of participants experienced favorable postoperative outcomes, with minimal complications. The anastomotic leak rate was 6.7%, with only one patient experiencing it out of a total of 15. However, a relatively high rate of wound infection (40%) was observed among the participants.

Conclusion: The study demonstrates that early reversal of intestinal stoma in Bangladesh may result in predominantly favorable outcomes in selected patients. However, the high rate of wound infection necessitates further investigation into the causes and implementation of effective preventive measures. Future research with larger and more diverse patient populations is needed to validate and expand upon these findings, contributing to improved surgical care and patient outcomes in Bangladesh and beyond.