FAQ Question:
What is irrigation?
FAQ Answer:
Irrigation is to regularly wash out a colostomy, so giving control of bowel movements. A person must first be assessed by a stoma care nurse for suitability of irrigation and must be taught by the stoma care nurse how to irrigate.
Colostomy irrigation is a method of mechanically cleaning the distal colon of faeces by instilling water through a stoma. As the water flows against the wall of the bowel it stimulates peristalsis and subsequent evacuation. The aim of irrigation is to control stomal output so that faeces are evacuated by reflex peristaltic waves and the stoma will only act at this time. This permits the patient to regain control of the stoma and unlike the patient whose stoma spontaneously evacuated it avoid the need to wear an appliance.
Colostomy irrigation is a popular method of stoma management in the United States, in the UK only about 4.7% of people who could irrigate actually do so.
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