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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffColectomy carries a risk of serious complications. Your risk of complications is based on your general health, the type of colectomy you undergo and the approach your surgeon uses to perform the operation. In general, complications of colectomy can include:
- Bleeding
- Blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) and the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
- Infection
- Injury to organs near your colon, such as the bladder and small intestines
- Tears in the sutures that reconnect the remaining parts of your digestive system
You'll spend time in the hospital after your colectomy to allow your digestive system to heal. Your health care team will also monitor you for signs of complications from your surgery. You may spend a few days to a week in the hospital, depending on your situation.
- Patient information for laparoscopic colon resection from SAGES. Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. http://www.sages.org/publication/id/PI09/. Accessed July 6, 2010.
- Fry RD, et al. Colon and rectum. In: Townsend CM, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/207919050-3/0/1565/0.html. Accessed July 6, 2010.
- Colorectal cancer surgery. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ColonandRectumCancer/DetailedGuide/colorectal-cancer-treating-surgery. Accessed July 6, 2010.
- Steele SR. Operative management of Crohn's disease of the colon including anorectal disease. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2007;87:611.
- Metcalf AM. Elective and emergent operative management of ulcerative colitis. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2007;87:633.
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