3. Definition
īŽ A GI fistula is an abnormal communication
between the epithelial-lined lumen of the GI tract
and the epithelium of an adjacent viscus or the
skin
15. a. According to the location of the
fistula
īŽ Internal fistula
īŽ Between two adjacent internal viscus e.g. colovesical
fistula
īŽ Tract contained within body
īŽ External fistula
īŽ Between the gut and the skin e.g. entero-cutanous
fistula
īŽ Tract exits through skin
16. b. According to the organ involved
īŽ Colonic- Colon
īŽ Entero- Small bowel
īŽ Vesico- Bladder
īŽ Vaginal -Vagina
īŽ Cutaneous- Skin
īŽ Recto- Rectum
17. c. According to the type of the fistula
īŽ Type I GI fistula
īŽ Originate from esophageal, gastric and duodenal
sources
īŽ Type II GI fistula
īŽ Originate from jejunum and ileum
īŽ Type III GI fistula
īŽ Originate from large bowel
īŽ Type IV GI fistula
īŽ Originate from large abdominal wall defects greater
than 20cm
18. Morphological Classification
īŽ According to the complexity of the fistula
īŽ Simple fistula
īŽ Simple fistulas are described as short with a direct tract
īŽ There is no organ involvement or associated abscess
īŽ Have a better prognosis and are likely to close
spontaneously
īŽ Complex fistula
īŽ Drain to the skin or adjacent bowel through long, often
multiple tracts via an abscess cavity
īŽ Have worse prognosis and less likely to close spontaneously
19. Physiological Classification
ī Physiologic classification quantifies fistula
output over a 24-hour period
īŽ Low output fistula
īŽ Produces <200 ml/24-hour
īŽ Moderate output fistula
īŽ Between 200 and 500 ml/24 hours
īŽ High output fistula
īŽ >500ml/24 hours
20. Pathological Classification
īŽ According to the state of the intestine
īŽ Primary GI fistula
īŽ Arising as a result of a disease in the wall of the gut e.g.
Crohnâs disease
īŽ Secondary GI fistula
īŽ Arising as a result of injury in the otherwise normal gut
21. Pathophysiology
īŽ The gastrointestinal tract secretes five to nine
litres of sodium, potassium, chloride and
bicarbonate daily
īŽ The loss of these essential electrolytes and fluid
volume threatens the overall circulatory system
īŽ Hypovolemia, inadequate tissue perfusion,
renal failure and circulatory collapse can occur
in the presence of a high output fistula
22. Pathophysiology [cont]
īŽ The loss of bowel integrity and absorptive
surface area, and the external loss of protein-
rich enteric contents all contribute to the mal-
nutrition and fluid and electrolyte
abnormalities [Malnutrition]
īŽ The presence of bowel contents outside the
lumen may lead to localized abscess, soft tissue
infection, generalized peritonitis, or frank
sepsis, depending on whether the bowel leak
communicates with the peritoneal cavity or soft
tissues [Sepsis]
24. History
īŽ Depends on whether the fistula is internal or
external
īŽ Internal fistula are basically asymptomatic
unless the distal portion of the fistula enters a
structure such as the bladder, rectum or vagina
īŽ Reported symptoms such as recurrent diarrhea,
mucus, blood, cystitis, pneumaturia, flatus or
stool from the vagina, perianal /perineal skin
excoriation, pressure and discomfort
25. History [cont]
īŽ Excess fluid exudating from a wound or
cutaneously is the usual first indication of an
external fistula
īŽ Examination of the fluid will assist in
determining the source [See table next pg]
īŽ Skin excoriation rapidly occurs secondary to
the high concentration of digestive enzymes in
the chyme
26. History [cont]
Type of Fistula Loss from Various Fistula Sites
Fluid Type Origin Of Fistula
īŽ Watery Gastric
īŽ Bile Gastric, biliary,
duodenum
īŽ Yellow/orange Small bowel
īŽ Colourless Pancreas
īŽ Brown fecal Large bowel
Modified from Metcalf C. Enterocutaneous fistulae. Journal of
Wound Care. 1999(3):142.
29. Systemic Examination
īŽ Abdominal examination
īŽ Leaking feces or fluids from a wound on the
anterior abdominal wall
īŽ Âą Skin excoriation around the wound
īŽ Wound or abdominal sepsis
īŽ Abdominal tenderness
īŽ CVS
īŽ RS
32. Radiological studies
īŽ Fistulogram
īŽ To determine the anatomy and characteristics of the fistula
īŽ Abdominal US
īŽ To identify any abdominal collections, abscess, masses etc
īŽ US-guided abscess drainage
īŽ CT scan of the abdomen
īŽ To identify any abdominal collections, abscess, masses etc
īŽ US-guided abscess drainage
34. Management
īŽ The approach to fistula management have been
organized into four phases:
īŽ Stabilization
īŽ Investigations
īŽ Conservative treatment
īŽ Definitive Surgery
35. Phase I. Stabilization
īŽ Resuscitation
īŽ Control of sepsis
īŽ Nutritional support
īŽ Control of fistula drainage
īŽ Local skin care / protection
36. i. Resuscitation
īŽ Restoration of circulating volume is the first goal
īŽ Crystalloid resuscitation is required to correct for
losses into the bowel wall and third spaces
īŽ Transfusion of red blood cells will improve
oxygen-carrying capacity
īŽ Infusion of albumin will help restore plasma
oncotic pressure
37. ii. Control of sepsis
īŽ Failure to control sepsis leads to:-
īŽ Multi-organ failure
īŽ Ineffectiveness of any nutritional support owing to
catabolism
īŽ Failure of fistula healing
īŽ Death
īŽ The control sepsis can be achieved by:-
īŽ Open surgical or CT scan/ US drainage
īŽ Antibiotics
38. iii. Nutritional support
īŽ Nutrition is essential for maintenance while awaiting
spontaneous fistula closure or as the preliminary to
surgical closure of the fistula
īŽ May be enteral nutrition or parenteral nutrition
īŽ Enteral nutrition is > parenteral nutrition when most of
the gut is available for digestion and absorption of food
īŽ Enteral nutrition promotes gut adaptation and maintain
GI function
īŽ Parenteral nutrition is preferred when there is little gut
for digestion and absorption
39. iv. Control of fistula drainage
īŽ Nil per oral minimizes intestinal output by decreasing
content within the intestinal lumen, ī¤ intestinal
stimulation and pancreaticobiliary secretions, which
ordinarily would activate the fistula
īŽ Acid suppression with H2-receptor antagonists or
proton-pump inhibitors may decrease the volume and
acidity of gastric secretion
īŽ Somatostatin and its synthetic analogue Octreotide,
inhibits the release of practically all known gut
hormones and decreases splanchnic and portal
flow,thereby decreasing the fistula output
40. v. Local skin care / protection
īŽ Protect skin from effluent
īŽ Wafers eg Duoderm, Coloplast
īŽ Pastes eg Karaya, Softpaste
īŽ Lotions eg Cavilon,Dansac- use as spray or spread
īŽ Powders egOrahesive- removes fluid from moist skin
īŽ Stoma bags
īŽ Treatment of primary skin pathology
īŽ Eczemas eg topical sucralfate
īŽ Psoriasis eg betamethasone lotion
īŽ Pyoderma gangrenosum eg tacrolimus
42. Phase III. Conservative treatment
īŽ Wait for spontaneous closure
īŽ Spontaneous closure of a colonic fistula can take
30â40 days; an ileal fistula 40â60 days
īŽ 90% of enteric fistulas that do close will do so
within 50 days
43. Conservative treatment [cont]
īŽ A fistula will not close spontaneously in the presence
of:-
īŽ Discontinuity of bowel ends
īŽ Distal obstruction
īŽ Chronic abscess
īŽ Mucocutanoeous continuity of the fistula with skin
īŽ Demaged or diseased residual intestine
īŽ Malnutrition
īŽ Foreign bodies
īŽ Malignancy involving the GIT
44. Conservative treatment [cont]
īŽ Adequate nutrition
īŽ Eliminate sepsis
īŽ Psychological support
īŽ Care of the perifistular skin
45. Phase IV: Definitive Surgical care
īŽ Indications:-
īŽ Failed conservative treatment
īŽ Discontinuity of bowel ends
īŽ Distal obstruction
īŽ Chronic abscess
īŽ Mucocutanoeous continuity of the fistula with skin
īŽ Demaged or diseased residual intestine
īŽ Malnutrition
īŽ Foreign bodies
īŽ Malignancy involving
46. Definitive Surgical care [cont]
īŽ The timing of closure varies between 10 weeks to 13
months
īŽ Premature attempts at operative closure with inflamed,
erythematous or necrotic tissue increases the risk of
peritoneal contamination, the formation of dense
adhesions and recurrent fistula formation
īŽ Delaying laparotomy reduces the risk of peritonitis,
minimizes blood loss between anatomical planes at the
time of dissection and improves wound closure and
healing
47. Definitive Surgical care [cont]
īŽ The approach will be either resection of the
fistula or diversion of the fecal stream proximal
to the fistula, creating an ostomy or end-to-
end/side-to-side anastomosis.
49. Prognosis
Factor Good prognosis Poor prognosis
Organ of origin Esophageal
Duodenal stump
Pancreatic, biliary,
colonic
Gastric, lateral
duodenum, ligament
of tretz, ileal
Etiology Post-operative
(anastomotic leak),
appendicitis,
diverticulitis
Inflammatory bowel
diseases,
malignancy,radiation
50. Prognostic factors
Fistula
characteristics
Low output, simple
fistula, defect <1cm
High output,
complex fistula,
defect>1cm
Nutrition
status
Well nourished Malnourished
Sepsis Absence Presence
Miscellaneous Operation performed
at the same institution
Referred from
outside institution
51. Conclusion
īŽ Medical and nursing care demand a complementary,
interdisciplinary approach if successful closure of a GI
fistula is to be achieved
īŽ The patient and family are challenged by physical and
psychological stressors, which often result in weeks and
even months of hospitalization
īŽ As health-care practitioners we must remember to treat
the patient as a whole person and not just âas a hole.â
īŽ The fistula should not become the only focus of care,
but rather an element of the overall treatment plan.
52. Conclusion [cont]
īŽ Early diagnosis of the fistula and resuscitation
of the patient, the control of sepsis, and the
provision of nutritional support may limit the
morbidity and mortality associated with this
complication