The decision to form a diverting stoma after low anterior resection now shapes other choices — whether a transanal tube is worth adding, how early the patient can go home, and how a leak will be managed. Yet operation notes often record the stoma without the reasoning.
A single line — height of the anastomosis, neoadjuvant radiotherapy, doughnut completeness, leak test result, and the reason for the decision — lets the ward team interpret a fever on day four and lets the unit audit its own practice.
- Record anastomotic height from the anal verge.
- Record neoadjuvant radiotherapy and the leak test result.
- State the stoma decision and the reason in one sentence.
- Note any transanal tube and when it should come out.
Why it matters
The next team managing a possible leak needs the reasoning, not just the anatomy.
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