Question

An ileostomy is a surgical opening (stoma) constructed by bringing the ileum to the skin and attaching it there, thus bypassing the colon and rectum entirely. A colostomy is created by bringing a part of the colon to the body surface. Which of the following might occur for a person who has had an ileostomy or colostomy?

a. A person with an ileostomy or ascending colostomy would have very firm bowel movements.
b. A person with a descending colostomy would have a stoma on the right side of the abdomen.
c. The stoma (i.e., the surgical opening created at the body surface) will normally look red and moist.
d. A person with a descending colostomy would normally have watery bowel movements.

Answer 1

The stoma will normally look red and moist, as it is a part of the intestine now visible on the body surface. Options a, b, and d are incorrect because they misunderstand the location of stoma and the consistency of bowel movements after such surgeries.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student’s question about the outcomes after an ileostomy or colostomy is: c. The stoma (i.e., the surgical opening created at the body surface) will normally look red and moist. This is because the stoma is a piece of the intestine brought to the skin surface, and the lining of the intestine, which is now the stoma, is naturally red and moist.

An ileostomy bypasses the entire colon, allowing the watery chyme from the ileum to be collected outside the body, without passing through the colon where water is normally reabsorbed. Thus, a person with an ileostomy or an ascending colostomy, which also brings content from a part of the intestine that has not had all of its water reabsorbed, would typically have watery, not firm, bowel movements, making option (a) incorrect. Since the descending colon is located on the left side of the abdomen, a person with a descending colostomy would have a stoma on the left side, so option (b) is incorrect as well. As for option (d), because the descending colon reabsorbs water, the bowel movements of a person with a descending colostomy would be more formed and less watery compared to those from an ileostomy or an ascending colostomy.