Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Receptacle attached to or inserted within body to receive...
Patent
1996-12-31
1999-08-17
Clarke, Robert A.
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Receptacle attached to or inserted within body to receive...
128DIG24, A61F 5445
Patent
active
059386479
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a biodegradable, flushable, ostomy bag liner.
Ostomy bags for receiving bodily waste from colostomy or ileostomy patients are well known and a major problem with such bags is that it can be difficult to dispose of the used bag in a convenient and hygienic manner. Often, the contents of used bags are removed by cutting an edge of the bag and depositing the contents into a W.C. for flushing away, leaving the soiled bag for separate disposal, e.g. by incineration or by wrapping and placing in a waste bin. Disposal of a used bag and its contents in this way is clearly unhygienic and unpleasant for the user, and, in recognition of this problem, various proposals have been made for ostomy bags which can be flushed down a W.C.:--see for example GB-A-2083762, EP-A-0388924, GB-A-2227668, and GB-A-2193925. Many of the known types of disposable ostomy bag currently available suffer from certain drawbacks. Firstly, due to the buoyancy and relative bulk of the bags, it is often difficult to flush them down a W.C. Secondly, in order to ensure that the bag is sufficiently strong and waterproof to withstand the rigours of use, materials have been used which do not decompose readily, if at all, in the sewerage system, thereby giving rise to a pollution problem.
Our earlier Application WO-A-94/12128, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, seeks to overcome such problems by providing a relatively tough, waterproof detachable outer bag, and a water-impermeable inner bag or liner, the inner bag serving to accommodate the bodily waste whilst the outer bag serves as a protective layer. The inner bag is made sufficiently water-impermeable to prevent leakage into the outer bag during a period of use but, because of the existence of the outer bag, need not be made of such durable material. Thus, it can be made of material which although water-impermeable over a short period, nonetheless gradually dissolves over a more extended period. The inner bag can therefore be made entirely biodegradable and is ideally suited for disposal by flushing down a W.C. The outer bag which is secured to the inner bag by means of a frangible or peelable connection is torn away from the inner bag after use and, since it is not soiled by the bodily waste, can be disposed of with other household refuse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is concerned principally, although not exclusively, to improvements in the construction of inner bags suitable for use in the two-bag system disclosed in WO-A-94/12128.
Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention provides a biodegradable, flushable ostomy bag liner comprising:
inner walls formed from polyvinylacetate/polyvinylalcohol film of a grade which disintegrates within 60 seconds in water at 50.degree. C., but retains its structural integrity in water at 25.degree. C. for at least two days;
outer walls formed from a non-woven fabric which disintegrates in water at 25.degree. C.;
means defining an opening in the inner and outer walls for receiving bodily waste from the stoma of a patient;
an adhesive flange for securing the ostomy bag liner to the body wall of a patient, the adhesive flange being secured to at least an inner wall of the liner and surrounding the said opening; wherein the inner and outer walls are unconnected and form a non-laminar arrangement over the greater part of their area, but are connected together around their peripheral margins and in the region of the adhesive flange.
The non-woven fabric is preferably formed from biodegradable fibres. Typically the fibres making up the non-woven fabric will have an average length of less than 8 mm, preferably less than 6 mm, and more preferably approximately 5 mm.
The non-woven fabric may contain cellulose based fibres and a water-soluble/water-disintegrable polymer capable of binding the fibres. An example of a water-soluble/water-disintegrable polymer suitable for this use is PVA which may be in fibre form. Examples of cellulose based fibres are fibres formed fr
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patent: 4203445 (1980-05-01), Jessup et al.
patent: 4230761 (1980-10-01), Watts
patent: 4946720 (1990-08-01), Oishi et al.
patent: 5108382 (1992-04-01), Wright et al.
Clarke Robert A.
Laurentano Anthony A.
Welland Medical Limited
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