Stoma Irrigation |
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Stoma irrigationThere are few things that are more important to a stoma patient than proper stoma irrigation. The purposes of stoma irrigation include the following: the elimination of wastes, the washing of the stoma pouch without removing it and the testing of the material of the pouch, looking for any fissures. If the pouch is ruptured somewhere in there, then the wastes could escape through the cracks and cause more problems then you can imagine. Not much can be said about the first scope of the stoma irrigation. The elimination of the feces needs to be done in a regular manner, once or twice a day. Of course, you need to know that, usually, only patients that have undergone a colostomy surgery will require stoma irrigation. Basically, only if the wastes of the patient are solid or semi - solid can the irrigation pump function properly. If the person is an ileostomy pouch wearer, stoma irrigation is used especially when the stoma is blocked by some large fibers or some debris. When talking about the washing of the stoma pouch by stoma irrigation, it is good to know that the liquid used to wash the bag can be abrasive and can hurt the intestine if used improperly. This is why, before the patient is released from the hospital, the attending physician will test several types of irrigation liquid against the tissue of the sufferer. Once the right one is discovered, the patient must use only the indicated one to avoid any sort of problems. Also, keep in mind that the washing of the stoma should not be done more often than once every four to seven days. If you insert the cleaning pump and the solution once a day, the pouch will get damaged rather quickly and the skin surrounding the stoma will be chaffed. In the same time when the patient will clean the pouch by using stoma irrigation, he or she will also check for any signs of anything being wrong with it. Ruptures, tears or thinning of the material can all lead to some unfortunate events. If these modifications in the structure of the stoma pouch are discovered, then the bag must be replaced immediately. All this talk about stoma irrigation and we have not reached the real thing yet: the steps of the stoma irrigation. Yes, it might seem like quite an easy thing to figure out, but guess again. It takes method and precise instruments, as well as a practiced hand to work the stoma pump quickly and efficiently. Of course, the actual training will have to be done by the patients' attending physician or stoma nurse, but here are some elementary steps that should be taken:
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