Fecal diversion does not support healing of anus-near pressure ulcers in patients with spinal cord injury—results of a retrospective cohort study

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study including spinal cord injured patients with anus-near pressure ulcers. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to evaluate the impact of stool diversion via stoma on the decubital wound healing. Secondary objectives included the risk of complications and ulcer recurrence. Associations between the wound healing and potentially interfering parameters were determined. SETTING: University hospital with a spinal cord injury unit. METHODS: A total of 463 consecutive patients who presented with a decubitus were retrospectively included. Patients with and without a stoma were compared using descriptive and explorative statistics including multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The severity of the pressure ulcers was determined as stage 3 in two-thirds and stage 4 in one-third of all cases. The wound healing lasted longer in the 71 stoma-presenting patients than in the 392 patients with undeviated defecation (77 vs. 59 days, p = 0.02). The age (regression coefficient b = 0.41, p = 0.02), the ASA classification (b = 16.04, p = 0.001) and the stage of the ulcers (b = 19.65, p = 0.001) were associated with prolonged ulcer treatment in the univariate analysis. The multiple regression analysis revealed that the fecal diversion (b = −18.19, p = 0.03) and the stage of the ulcers (b = 21.62, p = 0.001) were the only predictors of delayed wound healing. CONCLUSION: The presence of a stoma is not related to improved wound healing of ulcers near the anus. On the contrary, stoma patients needed more time until complete wound healing, conceivably related to selection bias. Nonetheless, we currently do not recommend fecal diversion to be the standard concept for decubitus treatment.