Leakage of bowel fluid inside the abdomen | Leakage of bowel fluid at the site where the bowel was stitched or stapled back together. The rate of risk is about 1 in 22 to 1 in 20. | Further surgery may be required. |
Ileus | The bowel is paralyzed leading to abdominal bloating, and vomiting. The rate of risk is about 2 in 100. | Treatment is to deflate the bowel with suction, using a tube (naso-gastric tube) put up the nose, down the back of the throat and into the stomach or bowel. |
Wound Infection | The wound may become infected. The rate of risk is about 1 in 9. | This may be treated with antibiotics. These may be given by a drip into a vein or by mouth. The wound may need to be opened to drain. |
Urinary Tract Infection | Germs enter the tube leading to the bladder and cause inflammation and infection. The rate of risk is about 1 in 20. | Mild cases may clear up without treatment. Usually antibiotics are used to treat the infection. |
Possible stoma problems: |
1. Loss of blood supply | 1. The blood supply to the stoma may fail and cause damage to the bowel. | 1. This may need further surgery. |
2. Stoma Prolapse | 2. Stomal prolapse when some of the bowel sticks out too far past the skin. | 2. For minor prolapses, no treatment is needed. For more serious cases, more surgery may be needed. |
3. Parastomal Hernia & Local Skin Irritation | 3. Parastomal hernia when the bowel pushes through a weak point in the muscle wall and causes pain and bulging of the skin near the stoma. | 3. Minor hernias may need no treatment. Larger hernias may need more surgery. |
(Stoma is the opening of the bowel onto the skin)
(Hernia is the same as a rupture) | 4. Local skin irritation including reddening of the skin and a rash in reaction to the glue used to stick the stoma bag. | 4. Changing the type of stomal bag usually treats this. |
Postoperative bleeding | Bleeding inside the abdomen. The wound drain may measure this. The risk is about 1 in 35 to 1 in 28. | A blood transfusion may be needed to replace lost blood. Sometimes more surgery is needed to stop the bleeding. |
Damage to the ureter (tube from kidney to bladder) | Rarely, during surgery, the ureter, which brings urine from the kidney to the bladder, may be damaged. | This may need more surgery. |
Bladder may not empty properly or may empty without warning | A urinary bladder problem where there is abnormal emptying of the bladder. It may empty without warning or may not empty at all. | A tube (catheter) into the bladder may be used to drain the urine away. |
Sexual problems | Men may be unable to get an erection or keep an erection. It may also mean that they cannot ejaculate. In women it may cause pain during or after intercourse. | For both men and women, time may improve the condition. Treatment for men may include counselling and medication. For women, counselling and use of water-soluble lubricants during intercourse may help. |
Bowel blockage | Adhesions (bands of scar tissue) may develop inside the abdomen and the bowel may block. This is a short term and long term complication. | This may need more surgery. |
Change in bowel habits | Bowel habits will change. Stools may be looser, smaller and more frequent. There may be some leakage of stools particularly at night depending on the type of surgery. | In most people, this improves with time, without further treatment. |
Increased risk in smokers | An increased risk of wound infection, chest infection, heart and lung complications and thrombosis. | Giving up smoking before the operation will help reduce the risk. |