Every step from the planning of a stoma to its postoperative care should be discussed with the patient in detail. Preoperative marking is essential for an optimal stoma site. Optimal patient management with the involvement of an ostomy nurse increases ostomy acceptance, reduces ostomy-related complications, and improves the quality of life of ostomy carriers.

Purpose: Beside the conventional plastic rods, different techniques and materials have been proposed in the last years to prevent the loop from retraction into the abdominal cavity. The aim of this retrospective comparative study was to assess three different techniques of loop support. Methods: The study included 65 patients who had loop ileostomy or colostomy formed. Depending on the decision of the operating surgeon, one of three techniques was chosen to fixate the stoma loop: an epicutaneous plastic rod (group 1, n = 14), an epicutaneous suture-fixated silicone drain (group 2, n = 27), or a subcutaneous silicone drain (group 3, n = 24). Results: The majority of patients (85%) received loop ileostomy. Pain intensity was significantly (p = 0.0014) different among the three groups. A total of 19 patients (30%) suffered a complication. There was a tendency towards less complications if the stoma was secured by a silicone drain with epicutaneous fixation. Comfort with stoma care was significantly different, with group 3 experiencing the best results. Conclusions: Using a subcutaneously tunnelled silicon drain as a stoma bridge results in less complications, less pain and higher satisfaction as compared to the conventional plastic rod. Conventional plastic rods should be avoided.