drain tube for colon

My husband had an abdominal hernia repair that was a disaster. 4 days later they realized his colon was perferated and they repaired it with emergency laparoscopy surgery. 5 days laterthey discovered 1 large and 2 small abdominal absesses and inserted a drain tube. It has been 7 weeks since the drain tube was inserted,his incision has healed but the tube continues to drain 10 cc's of colon matter every day.  When they injected die into the tube it went into his colon, so they kept the drain in place and said it was working, but there must be a hole some where. He has no fever and shows no sign of infection and is not taking any antibiotics. Can the hole heal itself and how long would it take? Or will it be necessary to have another surgery?

[Ratnakar Kini, MD]

Hi,
Your husband has developed a fistulous communication between the colon and the skin.
When there is no infection or collection of pus in that tract, it will close by itself.
If it does not heal for weeks together, surgery might be needed.
================================================================
The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.

- Ratnakar Kini M.D.