ELFIN
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Efferent Limb Feeding – clinical, mechanistic and qualitative aspects
IRAS ID
248290
Contact name
Stella Dilke
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, days
Research summary
Surgery for rectal cancer carries significant risks of leakage at the join between the healthy ends of bowel, after removal of the section containing the cancer. To allow the join to heal and reduce the impact of a leak, a temporary ‘ileostomy’ can be made – bringing a loop of bowel up to the skin so that the stool empties into a bag instead.
Studies suggest that ‘diverting’ stool away from the bowel in this way can damage downstream bowel, altering its bacteria, lead to life-threatening short-term problems like dehydration and kidney failure, and long-term problems with toileting and faecal incontinence.
Early reversal of ileostomy can prevent long-term problems but is not always possible. This study at St Mark’s, a specialist bowel hospital, investigates the best method of ‘distal feeding’ (feeding the diverted bowel through the ileostomy); to analyze the impact on the patient’s well-being, the amount of stool their stomas produce, how healthy their bowel is, their gut bacterial changes and gut hormones, and how they feel about performing distal feeding, with a view to prevention of long term functional problems.
This study will look at all patients who can be ‘distally fed’, including patients following cancer operations, and patients with longstanding bowel problems, including short bowel and inflammatory bowel disease. There will be a group of healthy controls in addition to cancer patients and intestinal failure patients.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
18/WA/0267
Date of REC Opinion
14 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion