GB2368528A

GB2368528A - Ostomy bag with disposable outer flange portion

Info

Publication number: GB2368528A
Application number: GB0119409A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy Bateman
Original assignee: Smiths Group PLC
Current assignee: Smiths Group PLC
Priority date: 2000-08-25
Filing date: 2001-08-09
Publication date: 2002-05-08
Also published as: GB0119409D0; GB0020900D0

Abstract

An ostomy bag comprising a flexible pouch 1 having a rear wall 11 possessing an opening 13 and a flange 2 attached by welding 22 around the circular opening and having an aperture aligned with it and an annular line of weakness 23 extending around the hole separating the flange into concentric outer 25 and inner 24 portions. The body contacting surface of the flange is a ring of pressure sensitive adhesive material 20 and may have a release sheet and the reverse side has a circular backing sheet, 26 adhered to it. After use the flange is folded in half to adhere to itself, the support sheet is removed to expose the line of weakness which may be a line of perforations along which the flange is torn. The outer flange is disposed of and the soiled inner portion seals the pouch which may be alkali disposable using a toilet.

Description

OSTOMY BAGS This invention relates to ostomy bags.

Attempts have been made recently to develop ostomy bags that can be disposed of by flushing in a wc, to avoid the need to make special disposal arrangements, which can be inconvenient, embarrassing and unhygenic.

WC-disposable bags have been proposed in the literature, the bags having an outer water-soluble or dispersible layer and an inner water-resistant layer. The outer layer provides mechanical support for the inner layer so that, when the bag is dropped into turbulent water in a wc pan, the outer layer is quickly broken up. The inner layer prevents the contents of the bag attacking the outer layer in use but, once the outer layer is broken up on disposal, the inner layer does not have sufficient mechanical strength in itself to cause blockage on flushing the wc. An example of such a bag is described in GB 2083762B. A wc-disposable bag is sold by SIMS Portex Limited, England under the name Symphony (Symphony is a Registered Trade Mark of SIMS Portex Limited).

Although such bags can be used satisfactorily, the user has to take special precautions to ensure that the outside of the bag does not become wet, because the outer layer would be damaged by contact with water. This can be especially inconvenient with bags which are worn long-term, for two or more days, such as is usually the case with ileostomy bags. The use of such bags can make washing difficult and prevents the user swimming.

An alternative form of bag is described in EP 0142950A, which is made of 3-hydroxybutyrate film, either in a laminate with a water-soluble film as an outer layer, or entirely from 3-hydroxybutyrate. Such a material remains intact when in contact with water or body waste, but is broken up if the pH is raised to about 12. The bag described is disposed of by adding a base material to the contents of the bag so as to raise the pH of the contents to at least 12 so that it breaks up when agitated in a we pan.

A further alkali-disposable bag is described in GB 2195919B. The walls of this bag have a central layer of polyvinyl alcohol, an inner layer of a blend ofpolyvinylidene chloride acrylonitrile copolymer with carboxylated acrylic copolymer, and an outer layer of two or more coatings of carboxylated acrylic acid. This bag can be disposed of in a we by adding an alkali to the water in the pan.

Another alkali-disposable bag is described in GB 2257056. This bag has an outer layer substantially entirely of alkali-soluble/water-insoluble carboxylated acrylic polymer forming a major part of the thickness of the material and a thinner, inner layer of alkaliresistant polyvinylidene chloride bonded directly to one side of the first layer. GB 2324761 describes an alkali-disposable bag with a non-woven outer layer.

Previous bags have a flange around their inlet opening supporting an adhesive material by which the bag is attached to the skin of the patient. In order to provide the desired security of attachment, the flange is thicker and stiffer than the walls of the bag. Although the flange can be made such that it can be flushed away in a we, it can take longer to flush away and the perceived bulk of the flange can make users think that it will not flush away, or that it will create a blockage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative ostomy bag.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an ostomy bag comprising a flexible pouch and a flange by which the bag is attached to the patient, the pouch having a forward wall and a rear wall facing the patient, the rear wall having an opening therein through which waste material from the patient can enter the pouch, the flange having an opening therethrough in alignment with the opening in the rear wall, an annular line of weakness extending around the opening in the flange, and the flange being attached to the rear wall within the line of weakness such that the outel portion of the flange can be removed from the bag after use by separating the flange along the line of weakness.

The flange preferably has a removable backing member on the side away from the patient and extending across the line of weakness, such that the outer portion of the flange can be removed by removing the backing member and separating the flange along the line of weakness. The line of weakness may be a perforated line. The flange is preferably of a pressure-sensitive material and may be attached to the pouch by a weld within the line of weakness. The pouch is preferably we disposable and may be alkali disposable.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of disposing of an ostomy bag of the kind comprising a flexible pouch and a flange by which the bag is attached to the patient, the pouch having a forward wall and a rear wall facing the patient, the rear wall having an opening therein through which waste material from the patient can enter the pouch, and the flange being attached to the rear wall around the opening within an annular line of weakness in the flange, the method comprising separating the flange along the line of weakness to leave an inner portion of the flange on the bag, disposing of an outer portion of the flange, sealing the bag at the remaining inner portion of the flange and disposing of the bag in a we.

The flange preferably includes a removable backing sheet on the side away from the patient and extending across the line of weakness, the method including peeling off the backing sheet. The method may include the step of adding an alkali to the we, allowing the alkali to break down the pouch and subsequently flushing away the pouch and the attached portion of the flange.

An ostomy bag according to the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a view of the rear side of the bag; and Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation view of the bag along the line IT-IT of Figure 1 to an enlarged scale.

The bag comprises a pouch 1 and a flange 2, a part of which is separable from the pouch after use.

The pouch 1 has a forward wall 10, facing away from the patient, and a rear wall 11, facing towards the patient and joined with the forward wall around its edge by a peripheral weld 12. The walls 10 and 11 are formed of a conventional alkali-disposable material, such as described in GB 2324761. Centrally towards its upper end, the pouch 1 has a circular opening 13 formed in the rear wall 11 through which waste material from the patient enters the pouch.

The pouch 1 may include other conventional features, such as a filter, but is otherwise made entirely of a flexible wc-disposable material.

The flange 2 includes a ring 20 of a skin-compatible pressure-sensitive adhesive material, typically about 2mm thick, which is stiffer than the walls of the pouch 1 but is readily bendable to conform to the anatomy of the patient. The ring 20 has a central circular aperture 21 aligned with the opening 13 in the rear wall 11. The flange 2 is attached to the rear wall 11, such as by welding the ring 20 at a bond 22 around its aperture 21 so that the outer part of the flange is unattached to the pouch 1. A stamped, perforated line of weakness 23 extends through the thickness of the ring 20 in the lorm of a circle concentric with the aperture 21 and a short distance externally of the bond 22. The line of weakness 23 divides the ring 20 into an inner portion 24 and an outer portion 25.

The flange 2 also includes a backing member 26 in the form of a circular sheet of flexible plastics material of a kind that will adhere securely to the adhesive of the ring 20 but can nevertheless be peeled away from the ring. The sheet 26 is of annular shape with an inner diameter less than that of the line of weakness 23 and an outer diameter equal to that of the ring 20. The sheet 26 preferably has a peel tab 27 projecting outwardly beyond the ring 20 and may also have a radial split line to aid removal. The backing sheet 26 adheres to the side of the ring 20 facing away from the patient and extends over both the inner and outer portions 24 and 25 of the ring but does not extend over the entire area of the inner portion. The backing sheet 26 forms a secure bond in shear with the ring 20 so that the weak joint 23 in the ring 20 between the inner and outer portions 24 and 25 is bridged and the two portions of the ring are held together during normal use.

The side of the flange 2 facing the patient is protected before use by a removable release sheet (not shown), in the conventional way. After the release sheet has been removed, the user presses the flange 2 into position on the skin around the stoma. The flange 2 provides a secure retention of the bag, despite the line of weakness 23, because of the backing sheet 26.

When the bag is to be removed, the flange 2 is peeled away from the skin and it is folded in half so that the adhesive face of the ring 20 adheres to itself. This seals the opening 13 of the pouch 1. Air in the pouch 1 can be expelled before folding the flange 2 or after, through the filter. The user then peels away the backing sheet 26 to expose the line of weakness 23. The user then tears the outer portion 25 of the ring 20 away from the inner portion 24 and, aRer wrapping, disposes of the outer portion in a waste bin. The outer portion 25 of the ring 20 is less soiled than the inner portion 24 because it is farther from the stoma and is protected by the seal of the inner portion. Any contamination on the outer portion 23 of the ring 20 is contained because it is trapped between the two halves of the outer portion that are adhered to one another. The inner portion 24 of the ring 20 remains attached to the pouch 1, closing its opening 13.

The pouch 1 with the inner portion 24 of the ring 20 are dropped into the pan of a wc into which an alkali has been added. The pouch 1 is quickly broken up by the action of the alkali enabling it to be flushed away. Because the inner portion 24 of the ring 20 has only a relatively small bulk, this can also be flushed away easily.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An ostomy bag comprising a flexible pouch and a flange by which the bag is attached to the patient, the pouch having a forward wall and a rear wall facing the patient, the rear wall having an opening therein through which waste material from the patient can enter the pouch, and the flange having an opening therethrough in alignment with the opening in the rear wall, wherein an annular line of weakness extends around the opening in the flange, and wherein the flange is attached to the rear wall within the line of weakness such that the outer portion of the flange can be removed from the bag after use by separating the flange along the line of weakness.

2. An ostomy bag according to Claim 1, wherein the flange has a removable backing member on the side away from the patient and extending across the line of weakness, such that the outer portion of the flange can be removed by removing the backing member and separating the flange along the line of weakness.

3. An ostomy bag according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the line of weakness is a perforated line.

4. An ostomy bag according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flange is of a pressure-sensitive material.

5 An ostomy bag according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flange is attached to the pouch by a weld within the line of weakness. 6. An ostomy bag according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pouch is wc disposable.

7. An ostomy bag according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pouch is alkali disposable.

8. An ostomy bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

10. A method of disposing of an ostomy bag of the kind comprising a flexible pouch and a flange by which the bag is attached to the patient, the pouch having a forward wall and a rear wall facing the patient, the rear wall having an opening therein through which waste material from the patient can enter the pouch, and the flange being attached to the rear wall around the opening within an annular line of weakness in the flange, wherein the method comprises separating the flange along the line of weakness to leave an inner portion of the flange on the bag, disposing of an outer portion of the flange, sealing the bag at the remaining inner portion of the flange and disposing of the bag in a wc.

11. A method according to Claim 10, wherein the flange has a removable backing sheet on the side away from the patient and extending across the line of weakness, and wherein the method includes peeling off the backing sheet.

12. A method according to Claim 10 or 11 including the step of adding an alkali to the wc, allowing the alkali to break down the pouch and subsequently flushing away the pouch and the attached portion of the flange.

13. A method of disposing of an ostomy bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. Any novel and inventive feature or combination of features as hereinbefore described.