Postoperative management after loop ileostomy closure: are we keeping patients in hospital too long?

Recent studies have shown that closure of loop ileostomy can be performed in the day-case setting, reducing the length and cost of hospitalisation. By analysing our patients who have undergone reversal, we aimed to determine the length of hospital stay and potential factors behind stays beyond 24 h.

A database of patients undergoing closure of loop ileostomy at one colorectal unit was examined. The times taken to discharge, morbidity and re-admission rates were recorded.

Eighty patients underwent reversal of ileostomy between January 2001 and January 2006. Median age was 63 years (range, 22-81 years). The median length of stay was 4 days (range, 2-32 days). The median length of stay in patients without complications was 4 days. Many appeared able to be discharged earlier. Seventy-two patients (90%) were able to tolerate a solid diet within 48 h and 54 (67.5%) had bowel function within 3 days. Six patients went home before bowel function; none of these were re-admitted. Twenty patients (25%) developed complications, which included wound infection (8%), small bowel obstruction/ileus (6%), enterocutaneous fistula (1%), anastomotic leak (1%), and late abdominal wall abscess (1%). Of the patients, 16% stayed longer than 5 days despite having no postoperative complications.

The majority of patients undergoing loop ileostomy reversal at our institution can be discharged earlier than they are at present. Support in the community and the implementation of modified UK day-case surgery protocols are suggested to help shorten patients' length of stay.