IE47192B1 - Ostomy bag attachment device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a device for use oy a person who requires to wear an ileostomy, colostomy, urostomy or like bag (herein referred to merely as an ostomy bag for the sake of brevity), for attaching such bag to the body.

In British Patent Specification No. 751 333 (Tasse) a bag-support disc is described with a central opening surrounded by a collar. This collar co-operates with beading provided on the mouth of an ostomy bag. A carrier disc entraps the bag mouth to secure it to the bag supporting disc.

To the best of applicants'knowledge and belief, although Tasse was published in 1956, the device has not enjoyed any wide acceptance among users. It is speculated that this is because of sealing difficulties and the expense and impracticability of moulding an individual article for each user.

Galliard in British Patent Specification No. 760939 (1956) discloses a design of urinal which is not appropriate for ostomy use.

Jacobsen et al in British Patent Specification No. 839818 (1960) suggested for colostomy patients a flange bearing an adhesive layer to be stuck to the user, the flange extending from a bushing or collar to which a bag mouth may be attached. The Applicants believe that this arrangement involves significant insecurity of attachment and a risk of potentially highly embarrasing leakage. British Patent Specification No. 1 021 145 provides a connector whereby the bag can be readily removed and replaced.

But this arrangement involves two separate operations; firstly one must unscrew the connector which carries the bag from the connector which is secured to the body, and this involves a risk of leakage as it is necessary to invert the bag. Also it is an awkward operation. It will be appreciated that at this time the bag is full or partly-full of bodily waste products, and manipulation of the coupling will be an unpleasant operation even if, as is often not the case, the user has a high degree of dexterity.

British Patent Specification No. 1 099 455 discloses an appliance in which one ring co-operates with a second part-ring which is used to trap the neck of a bag when the two rings are inter-engaged with the bag mouth between them. If adequate security against leakage is provided, it is necessary that the two rings should be a tight fit; however this makes it difficult for the user to pull off the part-ring. As the part-ring is pulled off, there is the probability that the security of attachment of the first ring to the surgical dressing, or of the dressing to the skin of the wearer, will be impaired. This may also cause discomfort to the wearer.

In British Patent Specification No. 1 212 904, a clamping ring which has a ring-closing lever associated therewith embraces a mouth of a bag and causes the clamping ring to clamp the bag mouth to an annular shoulder of a member which is held against the user's body by a belt.

Such a construction is relatively complicated. ϊ 1 3 λ In addition, removal of a full bag without spillage will require care and skill, and especially for old or infirm patients there is still an unsatisfied need, despite the many attempts shown in the patent literature, for a design which allows quick and easy bag-changing with reduced risk of spillage.

British Patent Specification No. 1 139 715 is an earlier invention of one of the inventors herein where a plain flat resilient pad or disc of foam plastics material is attached to the patient by adhesive.

Howmedica Inc. in British Patent Specification No. 445 784 (1976) are also concerned with stoma drainage appliances. They disclose a face plate and an aperture insert. An elastic mouth of a bag is stretched over a skirt on the face plate. Aperture inserts of different size are provided according to the desired size of opening to accommodate the stoma. The present Applicant believes that this arrangement also involves an unacceptable risk of leakage.

According to the present invention, there is provided a device for attaching an ostomy bag to the body of a person requiring to use such a b.ag, the said device comprising, in combination, a pad or dressing having an aperture therein and having a surface adapted to adhere to the body, a flat flange which also has an aperture therein and which is secured to another surface of the said pad or dressing, whereby said apertures are in substantial registry to form an opening through which a stoma can protrude when the device is worn, and a coupling member formed by a cylindrical rib extending substantially perpendicularly from said flange and encircling said opening, said rib including a thin resilient deflectible seal strip extending at an angle radially inward from an inner surface of said rib. - 4 47192 Such a device may be used with a couplinc member attached to an ostomy bag as is disclosed in our Irish Patent Application No. 554/78 (Specification No. ), out of which the present application is divided. With such an arrangement, the seal strip assists in sealing when the channel-shaped coupling member on an ostomy bag is attached to the pad or dressing.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pad or dressing is made of a plastic adhesive material comprising a blend of a water-soluble or water-swellable hydrocolloid and a water-insoluble, viscous elastic binder. Such a material may be cast or formed in a mould to surround and thus form an article effectively integral with the flat flange. With such an arrangement, a secure attachment which nevertheless is comfortable to the patient can be obtained.

The seal strip referred to may be, but is not necessarily, integral with the cylindrical rib. The flange rib, and seal strip may be integrally moulded from synthetic plastics material, for example low density polyethylene.

The device according to the invention may have a passageway leading from its interior to the exterior, and this passageway may contain a filter acting to reduce the odours in any gases which escape there-through. The filter may be in the form of a replaceable cartridge containing carbon cloth.

The cartridge may comprise a housing having an inlet and an outlet and at least one layer of carbon cloth disposed therein so that the gas in passing from the housing inlet to the outlet passes parallel to the surface of the layer.

Advantageously, the housing may have a plurality of hollow pegs at one of its ends by which it is fixed into a holder located in the gas exit passageway, the interior of the pegs serving as the inlet.

The invention will be better understood from the following non-limiting description of an example thereof given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:Figure 1 is an example of a device according to one embodiment of the invention, seen in front elevation looking towards the user; Figure 2 is a vertical axial section on the line II-II shown in Figure 1: Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken in a vertical (or any radial) plane showing one form of rib construction; and Figure 4 is a section of a radial plane illustrating an alternative rib construction.

The device illustrated in Figures 1-3 is made up of an adhesive pad 100 which has a circular aperture 102.

This is secured to a coupling member 16 made up of two parts, preferably integral with each other, namely a flange 18 and a generally cylindrical rib or projection 20. In use, the rib 20 co-operates with a channel-shaped coupling member in the manner described in Application No. 554/78 (Specification No. 47191 ).

As is best seen in Figure 3, the generally cylindrical rib 20 extends substantially perpendicularly from the flat flange 18, and includes a thin resilient flexible and deflectible seal strip 32. - 6 47192 As shown, the strip 32 is of tapering form seen in cross-section and extends to an angle radially inward from an inner surface 34 of the rib. In use, when the two coupling members are engaged, the said strip springs radially inwardly to firmly engage a radially-inner wall 24 of a co-operating member to enhance the tight properties of the assembled coupling. Another surface 36 of the rib may be provided as shown with a peripheral rim 38 which in use co-operates with a rim on the co-operating coupling member in providing mechanical security.

The seal strip 32 is illustrated as integral with the rib 20 but it could be a separate part adhesively or otherwise secured to the rib 20.

As seen in Figures 1 and 2, there is a passageway 40 by which gases can escape from the interior 22 of the coupling and hence from the interior of the bag when it is being worn by the user. The passageway 40 may contain filtering or deodorising agents such as activated carbon, or fibrous active carbon cloth such as is described in British Patent Specification No. 1 301 101. Other arrangements of vents and filters can be employed.

The pad or dressing illustrated in Figures 1-3 herein has the advantage of being light, inexpensive to manufacture, hygienic, comfortable to wear, and relatively easy to use.

Referring now to Figure 4, in this embodiment of the invention, the profile of a rim on the rib 20 is chosen such that there is an annular surface inclined to the axis of the pad or dressing.

The inclined annular surface on the rib may be constructed to engage in face-to-face contact with an annular surface on a confronting co-operating member when the two coupling members are in their mutually-coupled positions.

Referring now to Figure 4, a generally cylindrical rib 68 is integral with a flat flange 70 which is secured over a surface 72 to an adhesive pad 106. The pad has a stomareceiving aperture 108 in substantial registry with a central hole bounded by the rib 68. The rib 68 and flange 70 may be moulded as a single moulding from synthetic plastic material such as low-density polyethlene. The pad 106 which contacts the skin of the wearer is secured for example by heat welding or by adhesive to the surface 72 of the member 66. The rib 68 is of generally cylindrical form with a head or rim 74 which has a flat annular surface 76 facing at an angle towards the flange 70. The surface 76 may be at about 45° to the axis of the coupling. A thin resilient deflectible seal strip 8 is integral with the rib 68. In use, the strip 78 engages an inner wall of a co-operating coupling member.

The attention of the reader is drawn to our co-pending Patent Application No.1998 /82 (Specification No. 47193 which was also divided out of Application No. 554/78 (Specification No. 47191

Claims (4)

1. A device for attaching an ostomy bag to the body of a person requiring to use such a bag, the said device comprising, in combination, a pad or dressing having an 5 aperture therein and having a surface adapted to adhere to the body, a flat flange which also has an aperture therein and which is secured to another surface of the said pad or dressing, whereby said apertures are in substantial registry to form an opening through which a stoma can protrude 10 when the device is worn, and a coupling member formed by a cylindrical rib extending substantially perpendicularly from said flange and encircling said opening, said rib including a thin resilient deflectible seal strip extending at an angle radially inward from an inner surface of said rib. 15

2. A device according to Claim 1, wherein the outer surface of said rib has a peripheral rim.

3. A device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said pad or dressing is made of an adhesive plastic material comprising a blend of a water-soluble or water-swellable 20 hydrocolloid and a water-insoluble viscous elastic binder.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.