Infection in the cancer patient with an ostomy

One of the most common reasons for ostomy surgery today is cancer. Because cancer is frequently treated with combined therapy, the surgery that results in an ostomy may be only one component of the overall therapy. The ET nurse is frequently the only nurse who cares for the patient on a consistent basis as he or she crosses medical-surgical therapies, and the ET nurse may be the one to first notice changes in the patient. Knowledge of the increased risks of infection and methods of prevention and therapeutic approaches are critical to the care of a patient who is undergoing such therapy.