GB2625122A

GB2625122A - Cover for ostomy device

Info

Publication number: GB2625122A
Application number: GB2218409.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Monty Stephanie; Schneider Toni
Original assignee: Ostique Ltd
Current assignee: Ostique Ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-07
Filing date: 2022-12-07
Publication date: 2024-06-12
Also published as: GB202218409D0

Abstract

A cover 1 for an ostomy bag. The cover may comprise an internal pocket 104, the pocket preferably being arranged at a lower edge of the cover, for receiving a distal, bottom portion of the ostomy bag. An opening may be provided in a lower end of the cover, adjacent to, and underneath, the pocket. The opening may be formed as an open lower end to the cover. The opening provides access to the pocket, allowing for a user to tuck an ostomy bag into the pocket. The cover may be formed of first and second panels 100, 103 that are bonded along their edges to form a cavity for the ostomy bag, the panels not being bonded at the edges that are co-incident with the pocket. The cover may comprise an opening 200 for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough. The opening may be non-circular and surrounded by resilient material (102, Fig 2) to allow the size of the opening to be expanded.

Description

Cover for Ostomv Device The present invention relates to a cover for use in medical applications. In particular, the invention relates to a cover for use with an ostomy bag system.

Stoma surgery is a common surgical procedure during which an artificial opening, known as a stoma or ostomy, is created for the discharge of bodily wastes. Patients who have undergone this procedure are known as ostomates, and typically wear products such as ostomy bags to collect the bodily wastes. Ostomy bags may cause discomfort to the user when resting against their skin. They are also functional in appearance, and may not be considered to be aesthetically pleasing, which can have an impact on the user's confidence.

To combat these problems, many ostomates choose to wear an ostomy bag cover. These covers are often made from materials which are comfortable to wear against the skin, and can feature a range of colours or designs, making them more aesthetically pleasing than the ostomy bag alone. Such ostomy bag covers however may not effectively support an ostomy bag, or otherwise may be difficult to take on or off (which is important given that the bag must be emptied and changed regularly).

Aspects of the disclosure are set out in the accompanying claims.

According to an aspect, there is provided a cover for an ostomy bag, comprising an internal pocket (for receiving an ostomy bag). The pocket is preferably wholly internal to the cover. The pocket is preferably an additional element to the cover itself. That is, when the cover receives an ostomy bag, the ostomy bag may be separately received into the pocket inside of the cover.

The cover may serve to conceal the ostomy bag, when fitted, such that it is not visible in use. The pocket may assist in receiving and supporting an ostomy bag, in particular by supporting the bag from below and from the sides.

The pocket may be suitable for receiving (only) a portion of an ostomy bag, preferably a distal portion of an ostomy bag (wherein said distal portion is preferably distal with respect to the user). At least one (lower) edge of the pocket may extend to at least one (lower) edge of the cover, preferably wherein said at least one edge of the pocket corresponds to the at least one edge of the cover -that is, the at least one edge of the pocket and the at least one edge of the cover have the same shape. Preferably, all edges of the pocket other than at least one edge corresponding to an opening in the pocket extend to corresponding edges of the cover. The pocket may be smaller than the entire interior portion of the cover, i.e. the pocket may not take up the entire internal area of the cover/a panel of the cover. The pocket may extend over a minor part of the cover, preferably wherein the pocket extends over less than one third of a length of the cover.

The cover may further comprise an (first) opening for allowing access to the pocket. The opening for allowing access to the pocket may be arranged adjacent to the pocket, preferably underneath the pocket. The opening for allowing access to the pocket may be arranged such that a user may tuck an ostomy bag into the pocket (when the ostomy bag is used with the cover -specifically, when the ostomy bag is received into the cover via a different opening, as will be described), preferably by hand. The opening for allowing access to the pocket may be formed as an open or openable lower end of the cover. The opening for allowing access to the pocket may be arranged as a (partial and/or closable) opening between panels of the cover, where a portion of one panel may act as a flap relative to the other panel.

The cover may be formed of first and second panels, being bonded along at least part of their edges so as to form a cavity for holding an ostomy bag; preferably wherein said bonding is via an adhesive. The first and second panels may be not bonded at a lower end and/or may be not bonded at portions of the edges of the panel which are coincident with the pocket. The pocket may be bonded to one of the first and second panels, preferably at a lower edge thereof, more preferably wherein an upper edge of the pocket is not bonded to a panel. Preferably, the pocket is bonded to a panel which is proximal to a user in use, for structural stability and to improve the closure of the opening between panels. Optionally, said upper edge of the pocket may have a curved shape. Alternatively, said upper edge of the pocket may be straight.

The cover may further comprise an (second) opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough. The opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough may be surrounded by resilient material thereby to allow the size of the opening to be expanded (and subsequently to return to its original size). The opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough may be non-circular in shape.

According to an aspect, there is provided a cover for an ostomy bag, comprising a non-circular opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough, said opening being surrounded by resilient material thereby to allow the size of the opening to be expanded (and subsequently to return to its original size). Said opening may be for surrounding a part of an ostomy bag which connects to a user's body. This may provide a cover which may be easier to both fit and remove and may be more able to remain in place during use, as the aperture is able to retain a tight fit around the neck of the ostomy bag but can still be expanded to allow the cover to be both fitted and removed.

The opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough may comprise a circular portion. The opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough may comprise at least one protrusion extending from the circular portion, preferably wherein the at least protrusion is at least one slit. The opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough may include two protrusions, said protrusions extending from the circular portion in a direction transverse to the direction in which an ostomy bag is received into the cover. The cover may comprise a ring of resilient material surrounding the opening, preferably wherein the ring comprises a high stretch fabric, more preferably wherein the ring is bonded to the cover via an adhesive. At least one slit is preferably provided in the ring, corresponding to the at least one slit of the opening (preferably, two such slits are provided). The opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough may be arranged in an upper part of the cover. The opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough may extend over a minor part of the width of the cover.

The cover may be generally pill-shaped. Alternatively, the cover may be circular, ovoid, or egg-shaped (as examples). When the cover contains an empty ostomy bag, the greatest distance that the cover protrudes from the user's body may be less than 15 mm, preferably less than 10 mm, and more preferably less than 5 mm.

The cover may be constructed from a material having at least one of the following properties: elastic, hydrophobic, and flexible. The cover may be constructed from at least one fabric material, preferably wherein at least a portion (such as an outer panel) of the cover is constructed from a synthetic material (such as Ultrasuede or another synthetic suede, microfibre, and/or polyurethane artificial leather) and at least a further portion (such as an inner panel) of the cover is constructed from a high stretch fabric.

According to an aspect, there is provided an ostomy bag system comprising: a cover for an ostomy bag according to any preceding claim; and an ostomy bag.

The invention extends to methods and/or apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The term 'comprising' as used in this specification and claims preferably means 'consisting at least in part of. When interpreting statements in this specification and claims which include the term 'comprising', other features besides the features prefaced by this term in each statement can also be present. Related terms such as 'comprise' and 'comprised' are to be interpreted in a similar manner.

Any apparatus feature as described herein may also be provided as a method feature, and vice versa.

Any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention, in any appropriate combination. In particular, method aspects may be applied to apparatus aspects, and vice versa. Furthermore, any, some and/or all features in one aspect can be applied to any, some and/or all features in any other aspect, in any appropriate combination.

It should also be appreciated that particular combinations of the various features described and defined in any aspects of the invention can be implemented and/or supplied and/or used independently.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following exemplary embodiments that are described with reference to the following figures in which: Figure 1 shows an exploded view of an example of a cover; Figure 2 shows an exploded view of an example of a proximal panel for use in the cover; Figures 3a and 3b show back and front views of the cover; Figures 4a and 4b show perspective and side views of the cover; Figures 5a and 5b shows further back and front views of the cover; and Figure 6 shows a view of the opening in the cover through which the pocket can be accessed; and Figure 7 shows a view of the opening in an alternative cover through which the pocket can be accessed.

Specific Description

Figure 1 provides an exploded view of an example of an ostomy bag cover 1. The ostomy bag cover 1 comprises a distal panel 100, an adhesive layer 101, a stretch ring 102, a proximal panel 103, and a pocket 104. The terms 'proximal' and 'distal' are in respect of the arrangement of the relevant components relative to a user when the cover is in use. The cover 1 is essentially formed as a thin, pill-shaped sleeve for an ostomy bag, being formed of the distal panel 100 and proximal panel 103 which are correspondingly pill-shaped and joined at least part of the way around their edges by the adhesive layer 101. As such, a cavity between the two panels is formed which is large enough to house an ostomy bag. It will be appreciated that other shapes for the cover 1 and panels could be used.

The pocket 104 is included at a lower part of one of the panels an internal surface thereof. As such, the pocket 104 is internal to the cover 1. Preferably, the pocket 104 is included on the proximal panel 103. The pocket 104 is a pocket in the sense of a patch pocket in clothing, in that it is a bag-like receptacle being closed at all sides apart from at its upper edge 106, which is not attached to any other component so as to allow access to the interior of the pocket 104. Specifically, the pocket 104 includes a panel which is joined at its lower edge 108 to the proximal panel and which includes an upper edge 106 which is left open. The lower edge 108 of the pocket 104 is arranged to be coincident to the lower edge of the proximal panel 103, and so it has a generally curved shape. The pocket 104 is bonded at its lower edge 108 to the corresponding lower edge of the proximal panel 103 by a layer 112 of adhesive. It will be appreciated that the bonding extends further into the pocket/panel rather than being only at the very edge of the pocket/panel. The upper edge 106 of the pocket 104 is in this example a generally straight edge extending across the width of the panel 103.

The adhesive layer 101 does not extend all the way around the distal panel 100 and proximal panel 103 and is not present at the lower end of these panels -that is, the adhesive layer 101 is not present at the portions of the edge where the pocket 104 is joined to the proximal panel 103. Accordingly, the lower end of the cover 1 is left open such that an opening 300 is provided. This allows the pocket 104 to be accessed (from below the pocket 104).

The proximal panel 103 also contains an aperture 200, which can be deformed such that it allows an ostomy bag to pass through. The aperture 200 is shaped like a circle and is arranged in an upper part of the proximal panel 103. The aperture 200 has two thin slits 202 in its edges which are opposed such that when the cover 1 is held with the aperture 200 at the top end, the slits 202 are horizontal. The slits 202 in the edge of aperture 200 are of a length that is just under half of the radius of the circular part of the aperture 200 (specifically, the length of each slit is 20 mm and the radius of the circular part is 47 mm). The provision of such slits may assist in allowing the aperture to deform in use, as will be described. The aperture 200 is surrounded by the stretch ring 102, which is constructed from a resilient material, such that the aperture 200 retains its shape after being stretched. The stretch ring 102 is circular, with the shape of the aperture 200 being cut out of the middle, with its outer edge extending a distance from the aperture 200 that is approximately half the radius of the aperture 200. The stretch ring 102 includes slits corresponding to those of the aperture.

Figure 2 provides an exploded view of the components affixed to the proximal panel 103. The stretch ring 102 is affixed around the edge of the aperture 200 using an adhesive ring 111, which is approximately the same size and shape as the stretch ring 102. The pocket 104 is affixed to the lower curved edge of the proximal panel 103 using an adhesive strip 112, which extends into the panel the same amount as adhesive layer 101.

Figure 3a shows a back view of the ostomy bag cover 1, showing the side that is in contact with the user's skin when the cover 1 is in use. Figure 3b shows a front view of the ostomy bag cover 1, showing the side that faces away from the body of the user when in use. Figure 4a shows a perspective view of the ostomy bag cover 1. Figure 4b shows a side view of the ostomy bag cover 1, where the proximal panel 103 is visible on the left side and the distal panel 100 is visible on the right. As will be appreciated, the cover 1 is very thin when not used with an ostomy bag. Figure 5a shows a further image of the back view of the ostomy bag cover 1, showing the side that is in contact with the user's skin when the cover 1 is in use. Figure 5b shows a further image of the front view of the alternative ostomy bag cover 1, showing the side that faces away from the body of the user when in use.

S

Figure 6 shows the rear of the cover 1 with the proximal panel 103 lifted away from the distal panel 100 so as to expose the opening 300 between the proximal panel 103 and the distal panel 100 through which the pocket 104 can be accessed, as well as exposing the pocket 104 itself. Figure 7 shows another example of an alternative cover 1 in the same position. In use, the user may stretch the aperture 200 so as to allow the ostomy bag to pass through the aperture 200. Once the entire ostomy bag (apart from the connection to the user) has passed through the aperture 200, the stretching of the aperture 200 may be released such that the aperture 200 returns to its normal size. The user may then access the opening 300 between the proximal panel 103 and the distal panel 100 so as to tuck the bag into the pocket 104. It will be appreciated that the length of the pocket 104 (i.e. the distance of the upper edge from the lowest point of the pocket 104) is chosen so as to provide a compromise between receiving more of the ostomy bag into the pocket 104 and allowing the user easily to tuck the ostomy bag into the pocket 104. Once the ostomy bag is tucked into the pocket 104, the pocket 104 may then support the bag from below and from its distal side. When the user stops accessing the opening 300, the proximal and distal panels hang normally. Where the bag is empty, the panels will hang flat and so the opening will close. When the bag is filled, the panels will naturally seperate somewhat and so the opening 300 may open. In such a circumstance the provision of the pocket 104 stops the bag from becoming loose or being visible from the outside of the cover.

Both the distal and proximal panels are formed of a fabric material. When in use, the proximal panel 103 rests against the skin of the user, and therefore the proximal panel 103 is made from a sweat resistant material. Specifically, the proximal panel 103 is formed of a high stretch fabric (having some elastic and resilient properties, which may assist in closing the opening at the lower part of the cover). The stretch ring 102 is formed of similar or identical. The distal panel 100 is formed of an attractive fabric material, preferably a tactile material such as Ultrasuede, microfibre or polyurethane artificial leather, to which a hydrophobic coating is applied. The pocket 104 (being a part which the user contacts by hand) is formed of similar or identical materials. The adhesive used throughout is a breathable adhesive. It will be appreciated that the product may be provided in a variety of colours and may have a variety of different finishes.

As is shown in Figure 7, in an alternative, the edges of the pocket 104 proximate the open upper edge 106 may extend above the open upper edge 106, such that the pocket 104 forms a 'u' shape at its upper portion. Figure 6 shows the upper edge 106 of the pocket 104 being straight, for comparison.

In an alternative, the open upper edge 106 of the pocket 104 is curved to further support an ostomy bag when in use.

It will be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Each feature disclosed in the description, and (where appropriate) the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination.

Reference numerals appearing in the claims are by way of illustration only and shall have no limiting effect on the scope of the claims.

Claims

Claims 1 A cover for an ostomy bag, comprising an internal pocket.
2 A cover according to Claim 1, wherein the pocket is suitable for receiving a portion of an ostomy bag, preferably a distal portion of an ostomy bag.
3 A cover according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one edge of the pocket extends to at least one edge of the cover, preferably wherein said at least one edge of the pocket corresponds to the at least one edge of the cover.
4. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the pocket extends over a minor part of the cover, preferably wherein the pocket extends over less than one third of a length of the cover.
5. A cover according to any preceding claim, further comprising an opening for allowing access to the pocket
6 A cover according to Claim 5, wherein the opening for allowing access to the pocket is arranged adjacent to the pocket, preferably underneath the pocket
7 A cover according to Claim 5 or 6, wherein the opening for allowing access to the pocket is arranged such that a user may tuck an ostomy bag into the pocket.
8 A cover according to any of Claims 5 to 7, wherein the opening for allowing access to the pocket is formed as an open lower end of the cover.
9. A cover according to any preceding claim, being formed of first and second panels, being bonded along at least part of their edges so as to form a cavity for holding an ostomy bag; preferably wherein said bonding is via an adhesive.
A cover according to Claim 9, wherein the first and second panels are not bonded at a lower end and/or are not bonded at portions of the edges of the panel which are coincident with the pocket.
11 A cover according to Claim 9 or 10, wherein the pocket is bonded to one of the first and second panels, preferably at a lower edge thereof, more preferably wherein an upper edge of the pocket is not bonded to a panel.
12 A cover according to any preceding claim, further comprising an opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough.
13 A cover according to Claim 12, wherein the opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough is surrounded by resilient material thereby to allow the size of the opening to be expanded.
14. A cover according to Claim 13, wherein the opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough is non-circular in shape.
A cover for an ostomy bag, comprising a non-circular opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough, said opening being surrounded by resilient material thereby to allow the size of the opening to be expanded.
16 A cover according to Claim 14 or 15, wherein the opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough comprises a circular portion.
17 A cover according to Claim 16, wherein the opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough comprises at least one protrusion extending from the circular portion, preferably wherein the at least protrusion is at least one slit.
18. A cover according to Claim 17, wherein the opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough includes two protrusions, said protrusions extending from the circular portion in a direction transverse to the direction in which an ostomy bag is received into the cover.
19 A cover according to any of Claims 12 to 18, comprising a ring of resilient material surrounding the opening, preferably wherein the ring comprises a high stretch fabric, more preferably wherein the ring is bonded to the cover via an adhesive.
A cover according to any of Claims 12 to 19, wherein the opening for receiving an ostomy bag therethrough is arranged in an upper part of the cover.
21. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover is generally pill-shaped.
22. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein, when the cover contains an empty ostomy bag, the greatest distance that the cover protrudes from the user's body is less than 15 mm, preferably less than 10 mm, and more preferably less than 5 mm.
23. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover is constructed from a material having at least one of the following properties: elastic, hydrophobic, and flexible.
24. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover is constructed from a fabric material, preferably wherein at least a portion of the cover is constructed from a synthetic material (such as Ultrasuede or another synthetic suede, microfibre, and/or polyurethane artificial leather) and at least a further portion of the cover is constructed from a high stretch fabric.
25. An ostomy bag system, comprising; a cover for an ostomy bag according to any preceding claim; and an ostomy bag.