Outcomes of intestinal stoma reversals at Mulago National Referral Hospital; A retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background: The reversal of a temporary intestinal stoma is an eagerly awaited procedure by patients and is often considered a simple procedure by many surgeons, but the procedure has been shown in some studies to be associated with considerable adverse outcomes. However, data on the outcomes of intestinal stoma reversals are not well defined in Uganda. Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of temporary intestinal stoma reversals performed at Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH), Uganda. Method. This was a retrospective study involving medical file records of patients who had temporary intestinal stoma reversals at Mulago hospital between January 2017 and December 2021. Information on patients’: sociodemographic, comorbidities, stoma procedure, stoma reversal procedure as well as in hospital post stoma reversal outcomes were evaluated. Stoma reversal outcomes were expressed as proportions, Logistic regression model was used to identify associated risk factors for intestinal stoma reversals. All analysis were two sided (p-value of 0.05) with 95% confidence using STATA version 17 software. Results: A total of 157 case files were analysed. Mean age was 37.1 (SD=14.6). Males and females were 111 (70.7%) and 46 (29.3%) respectively. In-hospital Post stoma reversal complications and mortality were 28 (17.8%) and 5(3.2%) respectively. preoperative hemoglobin (Hb =<11g/dl) and peritoneal contamination during stoma placement were significantly associated with stoma reversal complications ( P=0.023, 0.040 respectively).