What to do if complications occur during colon cancer surgery

No matter how minor the surgery is, there are always risks involved, and poor physical fitness and surgical errors can cause serious complications.

Surgery is one of the main methods for treating colorectal cancer. So what are the more serious complications of colorectal cancer surgery and how should they be handled when they occur?

1. Anastomotic leakage: It is a serious complication of colorectal surgery, and the incidence is higher in left-side colon and rectal one-stage surgery. Inadequate preoperative preparation, malnutrition of patients, and surgical operation errors can all cause anastomotic leakage. Once anastomotic leakage is diagnosed, enterostomy or Hartmann's procedure should be actively performed, and effective drainage, surgical nutrition, and anti-infection treatment should be given at the same time.

2. Bleeding: When separating the posterior rectal wall, damage to the anterior sacral venous plexus can cause anterior sacral bleeding. To prevent the occurrence of anterior sacral bleeding, pay attention to entering the correct gap when freeing the posterior rectal wall. Bleeding is a serious complication of rectal surgery, which can even be fatal in severe cases. Therefore, extreme caution must be taken when handling it. Bleeding can be treated by nailing with steel nails or by packing with gauze rolls to compress and stop bleeding. Avoid blind suturing.

In addition to the two extremely serious complications mentioned above, complications such as ureteral injury, stoma necrosis and intra-abdominal hernia may also occur after intestinal cancer surgery, which are all directly related to the surgical operation. Therefore, most surgical complications can be avoided by mastering the important steps of each operation and grasping the key points.