Gastrointestinal surgeries are operations that involve any part of the digestive system, such as the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Like any other surgical procedure, there are many risks involved in a GI surgery. According to Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine, some of the complications associated with GI surgery include intestinal obstruction, intraabdominal abscess, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, fistulas, and tetanus. However, not all of these conditions are common.
Bowel Changes
Operations involving the large intestine or colon can induce constipation or diarrhea. According to the National Cancer Institute, these conditions are often transient, occurring during the first few days after the surgery. Constipation happens when the peristaltic movements in the gastrointestinal system have not yet resumed. These movements will usually become normal a few days after the GI surgery. On the other hand, diarrhea is a common complication for surgeries involving the removal of one part of the bowels. In fact, the problem can become chronic and continuous, in which case the physician will need to make changes in the patient's diet to help return the digestive process to normal.
Bowel Obructioner
According to the National Cancer Institute, there are four types of bowel obstruction -- simple, closed loop, strangulated, and incarcerated. The first one is a block in one area, while the second one involves two blocked areas. A strangulated obstruction happens when a portion of the bowel twists around itself. If left untreated, this condition can develop into an incarcerated or necrotic obstruction, which will need to be removed. Because of this, a bowel obstruction can be a very dangerous condition. Signs and symptoms associated with this condition include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain that can radiate to proximal parts of the body. Passage of stool is also affected, since a person with bowel obstruction cannot pass flatus or stool.
Wound Infection
Just like any other surgery, wound infection is a major potential complication of GI surgeries. The incision site should be observed for signs of infection, such as redness or erythema, warmth, tenderness, swelling, and the presence of pus and foul odors. In worst cases, the incision site can open up--dehiscence--and part of the gastrointestinal tract can protrude--evisceration, respectively. Prognosis for wound infections depends upon the speed of diagnosis.
