All explainers
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Before Your Stoma Reversal: What a Cochrane Review of 9 Trials Found About Wound Closure and Infection Risk
A 2024 Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of nine randomised controlled trials found that purse-string skin closure during stoma reversal cuts the surgical site infection rate to roughly one-fifth of that seen with conventional linear closure — a finding worth discussing with your surgical team.

High-Output Stoma: Five Evidence-Based Strategies and the Electrolyte Risks That Make Prompt Management Essential
A 2026 systematic review of 15 studies maps five categories of intervention for high-output stomas — and names the electrolyte imbalances that, left unmanaged, can lead to kidney injury and preventable readmission.

What the 2026 AGA hemorrhoid update says — and why not every anal symptom is a hemorrhoid
A new American Gastroenterological Association Clinical Practice Update puts fibre, fluids and not straining first for symptomatic hemorrhoids, reserves procedures and surgery for higher grades — and is a reminder that bleeding from the bottom should be checked, not assumed.

Going home within 24 hours after loop ileostomy reversal: what a 2026 systematic review found — and where the data still has gaps
A May 2026 systematic review in the International Journal of Colorectal Disease pooled data from 12 studies covering 30,040 patients and found no statistically significant increase in serious complications for early discharge after loop ileostomy reversal — but the authors urge caution while better-designed trials catch up.

Drinking against the bag: what a 2026 scoping review says about oral rehydration solutions and the ileostomy hydration problem
Staying hydrated with an ileostomy is harder than it looks, and plain water isn't always the answer. A 2026 scoping review surveys what the evidence actually shows on using oral rehydration solutions to manage the fluid and electrolyte side of ileostomy life — and where the gaps still are.

Eating less to feel safer: what a 2026 review says about over-restricting your diet with an ileostomy
Many people with an ileostomy quietly cut food down to avoid problems. A 2026 nutrition review looks at what that trade-off can cost — and why blanket restriction is not the same as good management.

Ostomy complications, grouped: what a 2026 clinical review lists — and why it points to your care team
A 2026 clinical review catalogues the known ostomy complications into earlier and later ones. It's a map of what exists, not a checklist for self-diagnosis — and that distinction matters.