Anesthesia options
Any allergies you may have
Current medicines, herbs, and supplements that you take and whether you need to stop taking them before surgery
Fasting before surgery, such as avoiding food or drink after midnight the night before
Whether you need a ride to and from surgery
Tests that will need to be done before surgery
Cleaning the bowels

Anesthesia

The doctor will give general anesthesia. You will be asleep.

Description of Procedure

The surgery may be done in one of two ways:

Open Surgery

An incision will be made in the abdomen. The diseased section of intestine will be removed. If any healthy intestine is left, the ends will be joined together. If not, an opening (stoma) in the abdomen will be made to allow stool to exit into a bag. The surgical incision will be closed with stitches. A bandage will be placed over the area.

Laparoscopic Surgery

Small incisions will be made in the abdomen. A tube will be passed through one of the incisions. It will push gas into the belly. This will make it easier for the doctor to view the area. A camera will allow the doctor to see inside the belly. Other tools will be passed through the incisions. They will be used to remove the diseased section of intestine. If any healthy intestine is left, the ends will be joined together. If not, an opening (stoma) in the abdomen will be made to allow stool to exit into a bag. The surgical incisions will be closed with stitches. A bandage will be placed over the area.

How Long Will It Take?

About 1 to 4 hours

Will It Hurt?

Pain and swelling are common in the first week. Medicine and home care help.

Average Hospital Stay

The usual length of stay is 5 to 7 days. If you have any problems, you may need to stay longer.

Post-procedure Care

At the Hospital

After the procedure, the staff may:

Give medicines to control pain or nausea
Teach stoma care, if needed
Place a tube through the nose and into the stomach to give the area time to rest
Give IV nutrition while the intestine heals

At Home

Recovery will take 1 to 2 months. Physical activity will be limited during this time. You will need to delay your return to work.

Call Your Doctor

Call your doctor if you are not getting better or you have:

Signs of infection, such as fever or chills
Redness, swelling, excess bleeding, or drainage from the incision
Lasting nausea or vomiting
Pain you cannot control with medicine
Problems passing urine or stool, including bleeding
New or unexpected symptoms

If you think you have an emergency, call for medical help right away.

RESOURCES:

American College of Surgeons
https://www.facs.org

National Cancer Institute
https://www.cancer.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Association of Gastroenterology
https://www.cag-acg.org

Canadian Cancer Society
https://www.cancer.ca

References:

Colorectal surgery considerations. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/procedure/colorectal-surgery-considerations. Accessed January 14, 2021.

Lopes M, Duarte T, et al. Clinical outcome of patients submitted to resection of the small bowel segments. Clin Surg. 2018; 3: 2061.

Small bowel resection. National Institutes of Health website. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002943.htm. Accessed January 14, 2021.

Last reviewed February 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Marcin Chwistek, MD
Last Updated: 1/14/2021

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