GB2188855A - Ostomy bag and sheet material for making same - Google Patents

Abstract

An ostomy bag and sheet material for making such bags are disclosed. An ostomy bag is made of sheet material impermeable to liquids in which water is the major constituent, and which allows gas to escape from within the bag over its whole surface area. Moreover the sheet material carries, substantially evenly distributed thereover, an odour-removing, odour masking, or odour modifying agent. Activated carbon in particulate form may be used as such an agent.

Description

SPECIFICATION Ostomy bag and sheet material for making same This invention relates to an ostomy bag and to sheet material for making such bags. The material may also be useful for other applications where liquid impermeability and gas transmissibility with odour removal or modification is required.

According to the present invention, there is prov idedanostomybag made of sheet material impermeableto liquids in which water is the major con stituentcharacterised inthatthesheet material is such as to allow gas to escape from within the bag over its whole surface area, and in that the sheet material carries, substantially evenly distributed thereover, an odour-removing, odour-masking, or odourmodifying agent.

Those skilled in the art will realise that this is are- volutionary development. To the best of Applicants' knowledge and belief, all prior designs of ostomy bag have been based on the concept of preventing escape of gas exceptthrough one (or more) small apertures at which patches, valves orfilters are located. Representative examples of bags based upon this concept are: U.K. Patent 576 181 (1946) Oliver U.K. Patent648718(1951) Mayer U.K. Patent 785 562 (1957) Sorensen U.K. Patenti 117204(1968) Bonfils U.K. Patent 1 379464(1975) Hollister U.K. Patent 1 405 032 (1975) Hollister U.K. Patent 2 031 282 (1980) Matburn U.K. Patent 2036564(1980) Hollister U.K. Patent 2 083 760 (1982) Downs U.K.Patent 2 122090 (1984) Craig There are many others.

In current commercial practice, ostomy bags are made from atrilaminatefilm.The middle layercom ponent ofthis laminate is usually polyvinylidene chloride film, chosen for its good gas barrierqualities. It is, however, expensive. A subsidiary aim of the present invention is to make the manufacture of ostomy bags substantially less expensive.

Also according to the invention, there is provided a sheet material which includes at least two layers, one layer, herein calledthefirst layer, being a liquid impermeable synthetic plastics material which is impermeable to liquids in which water is the major constituent and which is gas permeable over its whole area, and the other (second) layer being a gasmodifying layer. The material of the first layer is such that the rate of passage ofgas through it, measured at substantially atmospheric pressure, is from 2 to 1150 millilitres per minute persquare centimetreof material. The material may be a continuous, discontinuous or microperforated film. It may be of cellulose or a polymeric synthetic plastics, e.g. polyvinyl chloride.It may be constituted by a sprayed-on plastics coating applied to one surface of the second layer. It (the first layer) may be applied to the second layer by other methods, e.g., impregnation, powder coating, conventional roll-coating, and techniques analogous to printing.

The second layer may be a single sheet of material carrying (e.g. impregnated with) a gas modifying agent. In this specification by a gas modifying agent is meant a finely divided material which removes, absorbs, adsorbs, changes or masks (e.g., by known perfume substances) those molecules in a gas which make that gas malodorous. Activated carbon is one example of such a gas modifying agent acting by adsorption but others could be used, e.g. high surface area silica or activated alumina.Alternatively the gas modifying agent could be a chemical agent having a leaching effect, that is to say whose molecules react with the malodorous gas either to change its odourorto changethesize of its molecules so that human odour sensors are incapable of detecting it; two examples of such chemical agents are chelation agents and the product sold under the Trade Name VALEX by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.

Ine and available in U.K. from Bush, Boake, Allen Limited: The second layer may for example be of foamed polyethylene orfoamed polyurethane among the pores of which are distributed particles of activated carbon. Alternatively the second layer could have a sandwich construction, with the gas modifying agent being distributed between two sheets of gas porous material such as a paper-based tissue. With such an arrangement the two sheets of tissue could be embossed to hold them together. Alternatively they could be adhesively held together. Yet a further alternative is that the second layer could be of a cellulose material. It could alternatively be a layer of non-woven fibres, amongst which the gas modifying agent is distributed.One example of such a composite second layer is the gas adsorbing material disclosed in British Patent No.2077141. One version of the invention involves a layer of activated carbon in combination with non-woven fibres constituting the second layer, the activated carbon being located between the first layer and non-woven fibres of the second layer.

Reference has been made to two layers but additional layers may be included if desired for special purposes, e.g. to make the sheet material warm and soft to the skin of the wearer, orto give it a desired colour such as pink ortan. The purpose of this colouring is to render an ostomy bag made from such film unobstrusivewhen worn.

The first and second layers may be attached to one another by adhesive or by heat or pressure bonding methods; also, as mentioned, one of these layers may be spray-applied to the other.

The invention will be better understood from the following specific description of an illustrative and non-limiting example.

Example A gas modifying layer as herein defined is made up by sandwiching evenly distributed particles of activated carbon between two sheets of thin paperbased tissue, each sheet being from 0.0005 to 0.0030 inch (about 0.013 to 0.08 mm) thick. These sheets are held together by embossing (e.g. dimple pattern) as is conventional with such sheets when used (without carbon) fortoilet or kitchen tissues. On one surface ofthe resulting second layer there is placed, e.g. by spraying, a thin layer of waterproof material such as polyethylene. This constitutes the "first layer" mentioned above. The resulting sheet material then has provided therein a circular hole, which is to con stitutethe stoma aperture of the ostomy bag. Of course holes other than circular may be used if desired.The sheet of material is then folded over, and peripherally seamed by heat welding to constitute a iiquid- and solids-containing bag. Then a suitable ostomy coupling element is attached to surround the stomal aperture. This attachment is done in any convenientway. A suitable ostomy coupling isthetwoelement ostomy coupling appliance disclosed and claimed in British Patent No.1571657 (Kingsdown) or the two element coupling shown in the present Applicants' British Patent No.2121902. Other known couplings, however, may be suitable, or alternatively the bag may be directly provided in the region of the stomal aperture with a pad orfaceplate of a medical grade adhesive by which it can be attached to the ostomate.

The details of the embossing, folding, heat weld ing, and coupling attachment steps are not described in detail herein because theyform no part of the nov eltyofthepresentinvention and in any case will be well-known to a man of average skill in the relevant art. Alternatively the peripheral weld could be achieved by ultrasonic welding.

The resulting bag is light and comfortable to wear, does not creak or crackle, does not give rise to undesired odours even when containing (and gradually venting,through substantially the whole of its sur- face area) substantial flatus gas, and is extremely inexpensive to manufacture. The sheet material is inexpensive to manufacture, easily produced in quantity, durable, and has good gas transmission anddeodorising properties; moreover it is fully adequate for ostomy or wound care use as regards liquids and solids impermeability.

A spin-off benefit of the bag constructed as described in Example I is that such a bag can be safelydis- posed of by being thrown in a conventional W.C. The papertissue and carbon then shred off, due to the water action, and are carried away in suspension in the water, leaving a very thin polyethylene film which in its passage to a sewerage works becomes pounded and mechanically torn or burst, and even tually shredded, so presenting no problem of lack of degradability.

The sheet material according to the present invention may be used for other purposes than making ostomy bags. For example it may be used in wound care, in making incontinence receptacles, to cover ulcers or other lesions, for gas filtration, and othersurgical or medical uses.

Claims (17)

1. A sheet material which includes at least two layers, one layer, herein called the first layer, being a liquid impermeable synthetic plastics material which is impermeable to liquids in which water is the major consituent and which is gas permeable over its whole area, and the other (second) layer being a gasmodifying layer.

2. A sheet material according to claim 1 in which the second layer is of foamed polyethylene or foamed polyurathene among the pores of which are substituted particles of activated carbon.

3. A sheet material according to claim 1 in which the second layer has a sandwich construction in which gas modifying agents as herein defined is distributed between two sheets of gas porous material.

4. A sheet material according to claim 3 in which the gas porous material is paper-based tissue, e.g., the so-called "kitchen tissue".

5. A sheet material according to claim 1 in which the second layer is cellulose carrying a gas modifying agent as herein defined.

6. A sheet material according to claim 1 in which the second layer is a layer of non-woven fibres among which a gas modifying agent is distributed.

7. A sheet material according to any one of claims 1-6 including as a further layer as coloured layer.

8. A sheet material according to any one of claims 1-6 including as a further layer a layerwhich feels soft to human skin.

9. A sheet material according to claim 1 in which the first layer is spray applied to the second layer.

10. An ostomy bag made of sheet material impermeable to liquids in which water is the major constituent, characterised in that the sheet material is such as to allow gas to escape from within the bag over its whole surface area, and in that the sheet material carries, substantially evenly distributed thereover, an odour-removing, odour-masking, or odourmodifying agent.

11. An ostomy bag according to claim 10 attached to one element of a two-element ostomy appliance.

12. An ostomybag according to claim 10 or 11 having a peripheral weld effected by heatwelding.

13. An ostomy bag according to claim 10 or 11 having a peripheral weld effected by ultrasonicwelding.

14. An ostomy bag according to claim 10 or 11 in which the second layer is formed by two sheets of paper-based tissue embossed together between which is trapped distributed particles of activated carbon.

15. A sheet material substantially as herein particularly described.

16. An ostomy bag substantiallyas herein part- icularly described.

17. Any novel product, process, combination or sub-combination disclosed herein.