Gastrointestinal System Disorders Q 80

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You’re assessing the stoma of a patient with a healthy, well-healed colostomy. You expect the stoma to appear:

  

    A. Pale, pink and moist

    B. Red and moist

    C. Dark or purple-colored

    D. Dry and black

    

    

Correct Answer: B. Red and moist

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Good circulation causes tissues to be moist and red, so a healthy, well-healed stoma appears red and moist. A stoma should be pink to red in color, preferably raised above skin level, and moist. Stomas that are flat or convex can still be healthy but they can present challenges in terms of ostomy management and directing waste into the pouch.

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Option A: Major color changes in a stoma, with the stoma becoming pale or dark, are a sign that the tissue is not receiving the blood supply that it should. This type of change should be immediately reported to the surgeon, whether the surgery was recent or in the past.

Option C: Necrosis occurs if the blood supply to the stoma is restricted. Initially, the stoma will become a darker red/purple and may even turn black, which is an indication that the blood supply is impaired. It may also feel cold and hard to touch.

Option D: Stoma necrosis usually occurs within the first 5 postoperative days. The stoma appears discolored rather than red, moist, and shiny. Discoloration may be cyanotic, black, dark red, dusky bluish-purple, or brown. The stoma mucosa may be hard and dry or flaccid.

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