Quite a few factors influence whether someone’s stoma will have a tendency to be problematic or not, and a well-placed stoma is at the top of the list of things that can help.
Table of Contents
Introduction
As patients, we don’t have a great deal of control over whether our stoma will work as expected.
We know that certain things like maintaining an ideal weight, being sure that our illness (if any) is being managed properly, or quitting smoking are in our control, and they can have a profound effect on our recovery and surgical outcomes.
For those of us who have the luxury of preparing for our surgery in advance, we should make sure that we’re doing everything we can to facilitate the best outcome possible.
Depending on the hospital you’ll be having your surgery at, you may be given all the information up front and won’t need to worry about too much.
But there is something that we should insist on having done, and that is to have our stoma site marked.
Video
This video will give you a crash course in stoma site marking (for patients), but the article that follows has more information.
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What Does It Mean to Have a Stoma Site Marked?
Your stoma can’t just be placed anywhere, and some spots are better than others.
As a general rule, you tend to see people with a colostomy have a stoma on the left side of their abdomen, while ileostomates and urostomates tend to have theirs on the right side (although, I have seen exceptions to this rule).
Stoma site marking, if done correctly, will help to make sure that your stoma is in the right place for your body shape, clothing preferences, your range of movement, and abdominal muscle structure.
The “gold standard” is to have a trained stoma nurse do the marking. There is evidence which suggests that a colorectal surgeon will have similar results compared to that of a stoma nurse. However, general surgeons don’t seem to mark stoma sites as well as the specialty surgeons or stoma nurses (8).
What Happens When Your Stoma Site Is Marked?
The exact process may vary between stoma nurses or hospitals, but many times your nurse may do the following :
- You will likely be asked to sit, stand, and lay down so the nurse can see how your skin reacts to gravity.
- You may be also asked to bend (from various positions) so the nurse can see where your skin naturally folds.
- The nurse will look for an area that is relatively smooth and free of any scars, dips, or folds.
- Existing hernias will be noted.
- Your nurse will assess what placement will give you easy access to your appliance.
- Your abdominal muscle structure will be looked at.
Your nurse is trying to use all of these factors to help determine the best placement on your body.
It’s been known for quite some time that a stoma should be placed through the rectus abdominis muscle (4), which is why it’s easier to mark the stoma on someone who’s slimmer.
Once your nurse had determined the best home for your stoma, they will mark the skin (usually with some kind of marker) so that the surgeon knows where the stoma is to be placed.
Benefits of Having a Well-Placed Stoma
The benefits of stoma site marking have been studied for many years, and nearly every stoma nurse that I’ve ever come across has advocated for it. Even the UOAA (United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc.) has listed site marking as a fundamental patient right (5).
- Minimizes hernia risk.
- Improves the seal under the appliance.
- Makes it easier to be independent (i.e. less likely that you’ll need someone to help change your appliance).
- Can make things like emptying the pouch or changing the appliance easier on a day-to-day basis.
- Improves a patient’s range of motion.
- Reduces the need for follow-up surgeries.
- Can reduce the likelihood of leaks.
I’ve known people who’ve had a poorly placed stoma, and they suffered for many months or years before finally having it revised.
Before their revision, they would have their stoma nurse properly mark the new site, and the resulting stoma ends up being far better for them.
It’s unfortunate that it took a revision to correct the initial surgery, but I’m glad the option exists for patients who cannot manage with their original stoma.
If you feel that the placement of your stoma was not the best it could be, consult with your surgeon to see if a revision might be worth looking into.
It’s also important to mention that while all efforts to have your stoma placed where it was marked will be made, there’s no 100% guarantee that it’ll be done once your surgeon has opened you up (or gone in laparoscopically).
Sometimes, a surgeon may discover something that’s not very apparent from an external exam, so they may decide to place the stoma at a different site.
Closing Words
I hope that this article has given you enough information to understand the importance of stoma site marking.
As a patient, you have the right to ask for your stoma to be marked, and you will be better off with one that’s been carefully placed to suit your lifestyle and body shape.
I would encourage you to speak with your surgeon and stoma nurse during a pre-op appointment so that they can share more details about the process and benefits.
Question: Did you have your stoma site marked? How was your experience?
Sources
- Person B, Ifargan R, Lachter J, Duek SD, Kluger Y, Assalia A. The impact of preoperative stoma site marking on the incidence of complications, quality of life, and patient’s independence. Dis Colon Rectum. 2012;55(7):783-7.
- Mckenna LS, Taggart E, Stoelting J, Kirkbride G, Forbes GB. The Impact of Preoperative Stoma Marking on Health-Related Quality of Life: A Comparison Cohort Study. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2016;43(1):57-61.
- A Multicenter, Retrospective Study to Evaluate the Effect of Preoperative Stoma Site Marking on Stomal and Peristomal Complications. Ostomy Wound Management
- Sjödahl, R., Anderberg, B. and Bolin, T. (1988), Parastomal hernia in relation to site of the abdominal stoma. Br J Surg, 75: 339–341. doi:10.1002/bjs.1800750414
- Ostomate Bill of Rights, UOAA
- McKenna LS, Taggart E, Stoelting J, Kirkbride G, Forbes GB. The Impact of Preoperative Stoma Marking on Health-Related Quality of Life: A Comparison Cohort Study. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2016 Jan-Feb;43(1):57-61.
- An assessment of surgeons‘ abilites to site colostomies accurately. Macdonald A, Chung D, Fell S, Pickford I. Surgeon. 2003 Dec;1(6):347-9.
Yes i had my stoma site marked by a trained stoma nurse. I have a permanent illeostomy and at the it leaked alot but my stoma nurse changed my bags and the ring seals and mine hardly ever gives me any bother. I really think she done a great job and have to commend the surgeons for doing a great job?
First (2003) ostomy wasn’t marked as i was unconscious. Second (2006) went in for a reversal but came out with ostomy on same site as previous. My third (2011) was very marked, byhw stomas nurse. my surgery date was all messed up so I had to keep drawing it on for a few days. (was inpatient for three months prior) she made me all all sorts of stretching and moving. She marked several places, I preferred one so it was easier for me to wear costumes (cosplayer and also hoped to return to the dojo), my surgeon is ace face and went with the site I wanted, even though he was not overly happy with the choice. Had no issues and awesome but now because my body has changed slightly it’s really not a good place. I have to put up with it though as moving is too risky. Havent a lot of issues further up my 1.2m of intestines so maybe they will move is moe surgery anyway.
Well I had a loop ileostomy and now have a permanent ileostomy. For my permanent ileostomy my surgeon did mark me but it ended up being next to my belly button. Unfortunately for me my belly looks weird due to having major surgeries. So I feel my surgeon did what she could when it comes to stoma placement. My old surgeon didn’t even give me the choice of stoma placement for my loop ileostomy. She said she might be able to remove my colon and hook up j pouch in 1 step but it turned out to be a 2 step surgery. My loop ileostomy was placed in a bad spot. It was lower than my permanent one and I hated it. I had so many leaks but with my permanent ileostomy I haven’t had many leaks.My old surgeon got sued for malpractice but she moved away. Luckily I have a really good surgeon and now have a colorectal surgeon.
Hi Erica, I’m sorry to hear that you had such an incompetent surgeon the first time around! When your other surgeon marked you, did she have you sit, lay down, bent, etc. or was it a quick marking?
Hi Eric,
Great article. This is valuable information for anyone going for surgery and I like that you include references.
As an ostomy nurse it is very important to be very thorough in doing the pre-op marking. Some additional factors that we consider is the person’s ability to see the stoma to make pouch application and removal easier. So a person with a larger abdominal circumference may need to have the stoma site marked above the line of the navel. Placing a mark in this area is also common for a person who is wheelchair confined to make pouch management easier.
We may also place a one piece pouch or the flange of a two piece appliance as a guide on the abdomen to get a sense of the best place to mark. In some cases we may ask a person to wear a pouch prior to surgery for a couple of days to see if that location would be comfortable for them.
Another factor I take into account is if the surgical consent states an ostomy may be a possibility. For example, when the diagnosis is cancer or Crohn’s disease I may need to mark two locations for either an ileostomy or colostomy. During the course of an operation a surgeon may plan to do one type of ostomy but out of necessity needs to create a different type. In cases where we are concerned that the best possible site may be problematic for management, we will contact the surgeon to let them know.
I love that you can be so thorough! I wish every patient had the opportunity to work with a stoma nurse (or hospital) that can put that much focus on site marking!
It really does make a massive difference!!!
I did have mine marked (colostomy) before the operation. And 9 years on all is good. Maybe I was lucky, as I did not know that I should have the position marked before the operation. The right nurse on the right day ?? In NZ I am told this is standard procedure. Good article as I am sure a lot of people do not know about this. Thanks.
That’s great! Many people today, even those living in Europe or North America still encounter instances where they aren’t marked and don’t know that they have a right to be.
Some countries do lag behind others, but many hospitals simply don’t have stoma nurses available and it can compromise patient care and their quality of life.