Loop ostomy rod/bridge
A short (~90 mm), single-use, rigid-but-smooth rod, or a plastic bridge, passed under the exteriorized bowel loop to mechanically support it at skin level.
How it is used
Placed through the mesentery of a loop colostomy/ileostomy when it is fashioned, to prevent the loop retracting back into the abdomen before it matures; typically removed around postoperative day 5.
Clinical tip
A Brazilian series of 209 patients using a T-shaped metal bridge prevented stoma retraction in all cases, with skin discomfort as the main drawback; an Australian cohort, by contrast, found retraction was rare (0.78%) even without a rod.
Sources
This entry is part of the Instriq catalog, researched and written per specialty from real web research -- never generated or invented without verification -- and reviewed skeptically and independently before publication. How this catalog is written.
History
Added to the catalog on 2026-10-16.
Dates derived from the project's public version-control history on GitHub, not a live collaborative edit log.