For a patient with an ileostomy, what type of stool is to be expected?

For a patient with an ileostomy, the type of stool that is typically expected is liquid. This is because the ileostomy is an opening created in the abdominal wall that allows for the passage of stool from the small intestine, specifically the ileum, which is where digestion has not yet fully occurred. As a result, the stool that leaves the body through an ileostomy is usually more liquid and less formed than stool that passes through the colon.

This composition occurs because, following an ileostomy, the colon is bypassed and cannot absorb water and electrolytes as it normally would, leading to a higher liquid content in the stool. Managing hydration is critical for patients with an ileostomy due to the increased risk of dehydration associated with the more liquid stool.

In contrast, the other types of stool mentioned would not be the expected outcome for someone with an ileostomy; for instance, black stool may indicate bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, foul-smelling stool could relate to certain conditions or infections but is not characteristic of ileostomy output, and soft stool is still subject to the liquid nature that predominates in ileostomy cases.