Colostomy Care

A stoma is the exteriorization of a loop of bowel from the anterior abdominal wall, done during a surgical procedure. It is done for diversion or decompression of the remaining bowel. A colostomy is a type of stoma in which the colon (ascending/transverse/descending/sigmoid) is exteriorized. This may be done to treat disease or to relieve an obstruction or to prevent the remaining bowel from contamination by fecal matter. It may be temporary or permanent, depending on the indication for which it was performed. Most stomas are incontinent, which means that there is no voluntary control over the passage of flatus and feces from the stoma. This makes colostomy care a mandatory procedure after colostomy creation. Colostomy care, as the name suggests, is an all-encompassing term referring to colostomy management, from its creation to peristomal skin management, to colostomy appliance application and mental health management while dealing with a colostomy. The purpose of colostomy care is for skin protection and care for patient acceptance and to prevent stoma related complications.