Complications After Ostomy Surgery: Emergencies and Obese Patients are at Risk-Data from the Berlin OStomy Study (BOSS).

BACKGROUND: Complications are common after ostomy surgery. Data from the Berlin OStomy Study were evaluated to determine risk factors for complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with a bowel ostomy were questioned using a questionnaire concerning patients' characteristics and history as well as the ostomy and its complications. The questionnaire also contained a nine-fielded abdominal sketch to determine the exact ostomy location. RESULTS: Over 42 months, 2647 patients completed the questionnaire. Obese patients and patients after emergency surgery were more prone to ostomy-related complications. This result was independent of the kind of ostomy (small bowel ostomy or colostomy) and of the abdominal location. The overall ostomy complication rate was 55.6%. CONCLUSION: Significantly more complications were recorded after emergency surgery and in obese patients than after elective surgery and in non-obese patients, respectively. There was no preferential abdominal location for avoiding general ostomy complications. The results emphasized the importance of preoperative ostomy site marking by qualified personnel such as ostomy nurses or surgeons to reduce complication rates by respecting individual abdominal configurations. With an increasing prevalence of obesity, ostomy surgery will become even more challenging in the future. A division of the abdominal wall into nine regions might be helpful and more precise for describing and examining ostomy-related complications in the future.

Quality of life and need for care in patients with an ostomy: a survey of 2647 patients of the Berlin OStomy-Study (BOSS).

BACKGROUND: Although ostomies are sometimes necessary, it is unclear which type of ostomy is advantageous for quality of life (QoL). In an observational study of 2647 patients, QoL after colostomy (CS) and small bowel stoma (SBS) formation was evaluated. METHODS: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)-QLQ-C30 and CR-38 questionnaires were used. Patient characteristics, retrospective information about the ostomy and previous treatments, and current stoma-related complications were recorded. All questionnaires were distributed and collected by stoma therapists at the homecare company PubliCare®. RESULTS: In all, 1790 patients had a CS, and 756 had an SBS. The mean Global Health Score (mGHS-a general QoL indicator) was 52.33 in CS and 49.40 in SBS patients (p = 0.004), but the effect size (Cohen's d) was 0.1. In SBS patients, all functional scores were lower and most of the symptom scores were higher. CONCLUSIONS: QoL differed significantly for CS and SBS patients, but the effect size was marginal. The care of certain patient groups, particularly (female) patients who receive emergency surgeries, must be improved. More professional education and guidance are necessary for a larger proportion of patients. This survey provided reference data for quality of life in patients with an ostomy.