Hi Marie,
I did not have APR surgery but I did have LAR surgery and involved many of the processes that the APR has. Basically, the LAR is a sphincter saving surgery and then they create a "j pouch" out of the lower end of my colon to mimic the removed rectum.
So, back to your question....6 hours is not an unreasonable amount of time for the procedure your hubby is going to have. I think mine was around 5 hours. There is a lot going on the requires checking, double checking and triple checking before everything gets closed up. The colostomy step alone takes an hour or so. There will be, i assume, a large surgical cut between his scrotum and anus where they will remove the rectum from.
Just remember, we (the patients) are asleep and don't have any awareness of time length of surgery. We're dreaming some crazy dreams because of the anethesia! You, as the caregiver, are the ones who have the toughest job of sitting in the waiting room staring at the surgical board for updates
I have had temporary colostomies and iliostomies, and can help answer any questions you may have about those....and there are many on this Board that can help as well.
Good luck with the surgery!
Rob