Amy Gonzalez’s research while affiliated with The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and other places

Ostomies are created to divert the colon or the small intestine through the abdominal wall. They are performed when a portion of the colon or rectum needs to be bypassed or removed in the management of a variety of pathologic conditions. A parastomal hernia should be considered as a cause of small bowel obstruction in any patient with an ostomy. When a patient with a stoma presents with a fever, the differential includes parastomal infection or parastomal hernia with obstruction. High-output ostomies (>1.5–2 L/day for adolescents and >20–30 ml/kg for infants/children) can cause severe dehydration and electrolyte abnormalities.