Kock Pouch Ileostomy

A Kock pouch ileostomy is a surgical procedure aimed at treating many gastrointestinal issues. The purpose of this procedure is to improve the quality of life of the patients. The internal pouch created through this procedure stores intestinal wastes.

The top benefit of this procedure is that it allows you to decide when to empty the internal pouch without worrying about waste materials leaking out of the opening in the abdomen.

The Kock Pouch ileostomy aims at treating inflammatory bowel diseases, which include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Procedure

The procedure of creating a Kock pouch inside the abdomen involves the following steps.

• The surgeon will give you general anesthesia to put you to sleep during the surgical procedure.
• The procedure will start with your surgeon making an incision above the belly button.
• The surgical staff will fill your abdomen with carbon dioxide to make it easy to move surgical instruments. They will monitor the entire procedure through a camera attached to the tubes.
• The surgeon will create a pouch using the end of the small intestine. This pouch will be attached to the opening in the abdomen with the help of a valve, which will prevent stool from leaking out of the abdominal opening.
• This pouch will collect the stool. You will be able to empty it using a catheter. You may have to empty the pouch up to five times a day.

Complications

While 95% of people with Kock pouch stated that they were satisfied with its results, complications can still occur. Possible complications that can arise with a Kock pouch ileostomy may include the following.

• Inflammation and infection in the internal pouch
• The valve in the stoma coming apart and returning to its previous state
• Narrowing of the stoma as it recovers after surgery

It is best to discuss these complications with your doctor before or after surgery.

Living with a Kock Pouch

As mentioned above, you are going to have to remove wastes from your Kock pouch several times a day. However, managing this pouch is a lot easier compared to how you manage an external ostomy pouch. The only instrument that you will need to drain out waste materials is a catheter, which will go inside the pouch through the stoma and draw waste materials out. The process of emptying the pouch is not hard, but it might take a few weeks before you become familiar with the process.

How often you need to empty your Kock pouch will depend on your diet and body type. Right after surgery, you will have an indwelling catheter, which will draw wastes out immediately. This catheter will remain in place for about a month. The doctor will remove it once your Kock pouch matures. After the catheter is removed, you are going to have to adapt to a routine of emptying this pouch several times a day. The pouch will stretch and expand, allowing you to have fewer stool evacuations.

The best thing about a Kock pouch is that it doesn’t squeeze to push wastes out of your stoma. The requirement of using a catheter gives you total control over when to draw waste materials out of this pouch. That said, you may engage in any outdoor activity, including traveling, sports, and fitness training. You may, however, need to discuss with your doctor first.