Overview
A urostomy is a surgical opening in the abdomen that drains urine from the ureters and kidneys into a specially created stoma. Patients with a urostomy face physical changes that affect every aspect of their daily lives. The ability and motivation to care for oneself after the surgical creation of any ostomy varies from patient to patient and can be influenced by several factors, including patient Learning, assistance from the community, mental and physical skills, and the availability of healthcare services. Find urostomy care at home in Jodhpur today!
As new ostomy patients are discharged home at earlier stages in the postoperative period, home care physicians can positively impact patient outcomes. This article focuses on the urostomy care for the urostomy patient in a right home care clinic.
What is a Urostomy?
If you’ve had a cystectomy (bladder removed), you’ll need a new way to move urine (pee) from your kidneys to the outside of your body. This process is called urinary diversion, and one way this can happen is by having a urostomy.
Urostomy bags are unique bags used to collect urine after some bladder surgery. Instead of going into the bladder, the urine will go outside your abdomen. After a urostomy, your urine passes through the stoma into a unique urostomy bag. Caring for the stoma and the surrounding skin is essential to prevent skin and kidney infections.
Why would you need a Urostomy?
Your Doctor may suggest a urostomy care if your bladder has been damaged by trauma or disease or if it has been removed. If you have bladder cancer, you can have your bladder removed.
Your home care provider may also suggest a urostomy if your bladder isn’t working the way it should. Certain individuals may find a urostomy to be a preferable choice over managing urinary incontinence, a condition where one lacks control over the timing of urination.
A urostomy care is also an option for people with spinal cord injuries or birth defects (such as spina bifida) and people with a damaged urethra.
Some babies are born with urinary tract abnormalities that make it difficult to urinate. Urine accumulates and causes infection. Sometimes these children undergo urostomy surgeries.
Related Service | mother-baby care in Jodhpur
What happens during a Urostomy Surgery?
Your surgeon will perform the urostomy operation while you are under general anaesthesia. You will not feel any pain. You may need bladder surgery to remove part or all of your bladder.
Your surgeon may need to remove other organs, such as your appendix, lymph nodes, or parts of your reproductive system. This is particularly applicable in instances of cancer, with the specifics varying based on the nature of the surgical procedure undergone. For example, if your surgeon creates a neobladder, you will not have a stoma.
For other operations, the surgeon will create a stoma in your abdomen in a location that you have previously decided on. The surgeon connects the ureters to a tube leading to the stoma.
What are the different kinds of Urostomy?
There are two types of urostomy:
Standard or conventional urostomy: This is also called incontinence diversion. The surgeon uses a piece of your small intestine to connect the ureters to the outside of the body instead of the bladder. The urine then flows through the stoma, where a bag collects it.
Continental urostomy: This procedure is the same as a standard urostomy, except that the surgeon creates a pouch inside your body to hold urine. It is designed to prevent urine from leaking back into the kidney or leaking through the stoma. You empty this bag several times daily using a small tube called a catheter.
A urostomy is usually a permanent operation and cannot be reversed.
How often do you change a Urostomy Bag?
You will need to empty your urostomy bag (pouch) about as often as you used to go to the toilet before the urostomy. It can be every few hours or a little more, but it can be more often if you drink a lot of fluids.
It’s best not to wait until the bag is full, so you should empty the bag halfway or a third of the way when it’s complete. Leaking can cause emotional stress and can also irritate your skin.
At night you can connect your bag to a larger drainage container so you can sleep through the night.
How often you change the bag depends on the type of system you have chosen. Some bags are changed daily, others are designed to last about three days, and others about a week.
Summary
In a urostomy procedure, a surgeon establishes a stoma in the abdominal wall to redirect urine away from the bladder. The urine passes through the stoma and into the pouch, which the person empties as needed.
Improved surgical techniques and shorter hospital stays result in more patients receiving home care in the immediate postoperative period after urostomy creation. Patients with a urostomy require a great deal of care, education, and significant psychosocial support, both short- and long-term, as they adjust to everyday life. Leading home healthcare providers can be vital in providing patients with the knowledge and skills necessary for self-care and preventing complications and readmissions.
