Discharge Instructions: Going Home with a Biliary Stent

You have a biliary stent in place. This is a thin, flexible tube put in the bile duct between your liver and intestine. Bile is a fluid that helps you digest food. A stent is used to help treat a blocked bile duct. It helps bile flow as it should.

How to say it

BIHL-ee-ayr-ee

At home

The stent was put in place during a procedure called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Rest as needed after the procedure. ERCP and EUS are both done using a tube (scope) down your throat. You may have a sore throat for a few days. The stent may be placed from the outside of the body, during a percutaneous biliary cholangiography (PTC) procedure.

In some cases, the stent may move. Or the stent may become blocked over time. If this happens, it can cause symptoms such as these:

• Yellow color of your skin or eyes (jaundice)

• Pain in your upper right belly

• Fever

• Feeling sick to your stomach (nausea)

• Vomiting

• Light-brown or clay-colored poop and very dark urine

• A lot of gas

• Pain in your back under your right shoulder

Call your healthcare team if you have any of these symptoms.

Your provider will tell you if the stent should be removed in the future, during another procedure.

When to call the healthcare provider

Call the healthcare provider right away if any of these happen:

• Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or as advised by the provider

• Symptoms of stent problems (see above)

• Black or sticky poop