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Colectomy is a surgical procedure that consists of removing part of the colon¹. At the Médipôle Private Hospital where there are 200 colectomies per year, Dr Éric Olagne, Digestive and Visceral Surgeon, performs about 90 each year. Recently, he performed an outpatient colectomy. A first for the Médipôle Lyon-Villeurbanne (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - France).

Colectomy is intended for patients with colon cancer or who suffer from diverticulitis². This surgery is performed either by laparatomy³ or by mini-invasive laparoscopy⁴. At the Médipôle Private Hospital, 72% of colectomies are performed by laparoscopy, which has enabled Dr. Olagne to use ambulatory surgery.

An evolving technique

"Today, more and more procedures are performed by laparoscopy. This allows a return home between 24 and 48 hours after the operation, explains Dr. Olagne. This technology puts the patient back at the heart of his care: he arrives at the operating room on foot and not on a stretcher. Then, we make sure that he is revitalized quickly after the operation. Once back home, we keep the link via the e-Fitback application, which allows for optimal post-operative follow-up". The application, which can be used on a computer or cell phone, makes it possible to monitor symptoms and avoid complications remotely.

In outpatient care, the patient is admitted to the clinic early in the morning and can return home the same evening. "Our first intervention of this type has just been performed on a patient with diverticula. He wanted to be able to go home as soon as possible and hoped to be able to go back to work the following week - which he did! »

Fostering patient autonomy

"The development of outpatient colectomies is part of the desired progression for this surgery". The possibility of sleeping at home, better healing, less post-operative pain and complications... Eric Olagne is full of praise for the advantages of outpatient surgery in his discipline. "For it to work, the clinical path must be marked out by a competent and trained team, from the nurse, to the secretaries, to the anesthetist. The patient must be able to integrate the treatment plan in order to prevent any form of stress and to quickly regain a form of autonomy".

Innovative and effective care, to avoid prolonged stays in the institution and to help patients return to a normal life as quickly as possible.

 1 : Also called the "large intestine", the colon is the part at the end of the digestive tract.
 2 : Pockets that form on the lining of the intestine and can create a chronic infection.
 3 : Pening of the abdomen with a large incision.
 4 : Allows surgery to be performed without opening the abdomen.