Pouch for collecting matter excreted by the body

Details Pouch for collecting matter excreted by the body Pouch for collecting matter excreted by the body

2000-07-10

2004-02-03

Lo, Weilun (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material

Receptacle attached to or inserted within body to receive...

C604S332000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06685684

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a pouch for collecting matter excreted by the body, in particular for collecting excreted liquid. In one aspect, the invention relates to a urine collection pouch, for example, a urostomy pouch or an urine incontinence pouch such as a leg bag. In one form, the pouch is a so-called ventless pouch (i.e. without any dedicated vent for venting gas, such as flatus gas).
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
Many different designs of urostomy pouch are known.
FIG. 1
illustrates schematically an example of a known design of urostomy pouch
10
in common use. The pouch comprises material defining a front wall
11
and rear wall
12
welded together around at least a portion of their common periphery. An entrance aperture
13
is formed in the rear wall
12
towards the upper region of the pouch
10
, and a bag-side coupling member
14
is welded around the aperture
13
for releasable fastening to a body-side pad or wafer (not shown) worn on the body.
A urostomy pouch typically does not require any gas vent because the matter entering the pouch is purely liquid (i.e. urine), rather than a mixture of slurry and gas (flatus). Such pouches are therefore “filterless” and “ventless” and do not require the added complexity and expense of a flatus filter and vent, or a liquid/gas separator member.
In use, urine enters the pouch through the aperture
13
, and collects in the bottom of the pouch. As more urine is collected, the liquid level in the pouch rises until it approaches the lower edge or point
15
of the entrance aperture
13
. The theoretical capacity of the pouch is defined by the level of the edge or point
15
; once the liquid exceeds that level, it will tend to overflow back out of the aperture
13
against the wearer's stoma. In practice, a non-return valve
16
is normally used just below the aperture
13
(for example as described in GB-A-2 145 334). This serves to prevent urine in the pouch from splashing or leaking out through the aperture
13
as the wearer moves about, or sits or lies in a reclined position. The usable capacity of the pouch is then further restricted to the level
16
a
of the non-return valve
16
.
Such a pouch (and also a method of inserting a superabsorbent sheet through the entrance aperture and non return valve) are also described for example in GB-A-2268882.
Reference is also made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,587 which describes an ostomy bag with a flatus filter and having a liquid-gas separation device disposed within the bag. The separator is made of an absorbent material to collect liquids and separate these components from any gas entering the bag through the stomal aperture. The separator is spaced from the bag's filter to further enhance the gas-liquid separation. The separator may be disposed within the bag in an attached or unattached configuration. A perforated wall may be included within the bag to minimize clogging of the separator by solids so as to improve gas-liquid separation. The essence of this patent is to use an absorbent member in a pouch having a gas vent/filter in order to separate the gas and liquid components of the bag contents, and to provide some protection for the filter. However, this teaching is irrelevant for a pouch such as urostomy pouch which does not require a gas filter and vent; the sole motivation for the separator design is to address the problem of liquid-gas separation for the vent (whether or not a filter is provided).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It would be desirable, in one aspect, to increase the usable capacity of the pouch relative to the interior volume of the pouch, especially for a liquid collection pouch.
In contrast to the above prior art design, one aspect of the present invention is to provide, in a pouch comprising first and second walls with an entrance aperture in the first wall, means extending above the lower level of the entrance aperture for collecting liquid in at least a portion of an upper region of the pouch above said lower level of the aperture.
The invention can therefore enable the urine capacity of the pouch to be increased, by making use of the hitherto unavailable upper volume of the pouch (above the lower level of the entrance aperture).
Preferably, the means extending above the lower level of the entrance aperture comprises one or more wicking members capable of drawing liquid upwardly by a wicking effect.
Preferably, the means extending above the lower level of the entrance aperture comprises liquid gelling material. Preferably, the material is a so-called super absorbent material. A suitable super absorbent material is or comprises sodium polyacrylate. In a preferred embodiment, the superabsorbent material is in the form of a laminate, the superabsorbent powder being compressed or bonded between 2 papers, for example tissue paper and/or weldable paper. Such a laminate holds the superabsorbent powder together, enabling it to be handled and cut during manufacture. It also prevents the suderabsorbent from disintegrating inside the pouch in use. This is particularly important if a thin pad is used in the pouch. A further advantage is that, if a weldable paper sheet is used as one of the webs of the laminate, the laminate can be welded to the pouch wall to secure the laminate in position.
Preferably, the super-absorbent laminate material comprises, or is part of a composition which also comprises, glycerol. The glycerol can act as a humectant, to improve the wicking effect in the material, and avoid gel-locking. The composition is preferably as described in GB-A-2301350 or GB-A-2325432.
Preferably, the absorbent material is arranged in the form of one or more pads or other members which retain substantially their integrity when wetted by urine. This can prevent the superabsorbent laminate, or the gel produced when wet, from tending to fall to the bottom of the pouch, which might otherwise reduce the advantage of being able to use the upper region of the pouch as a collection volume. If desired the pad can be attached to a wall of the pouch, for example, by adhesive or welding. This also prevents the pad from tending to drop down in the pouch, and also serves to positively locate the pad during manufacture.
Particularly when the pouch is a urostomy pouch, it is preferred that an intermediate wall be provided between said means (for example an absorbent member), and the entrance aperture. The intermediate wall can serve to screen the aperture from direct communication with said means. Therefore, the wearer's sensitive stoma can be protected from direct contact with, for example, the superabsorbent laminate material, which can otherwise cause irritation of the stoma from prolonged contact. The intermediate wall may extend part-way down the length of the pouch.
Preferably, a non-return system is employed to allow liquid to pass from the entrance aperture towards the absorbent material, but to obstruct matter passing back towards the entrance aperture. The non-return system may, if desired, comprise material with directional flow characteristics, and/or it may rely on liquid being gellified.
In a second broad aspect, the invention provides a pouch comprising walls defining first and second chambers arranged with a portion of one generally horizontally in front of a portion of the other, an entrance aperture communicating with the first chamber, and wherein, in use, liquid entering the pouch through the entrance aperture flows into the first chamber and from the first chamber directly or indirectly into the second chamber, the first chamber acting as an intermediate chamber for the liquid, and the second chamber acting as a collection chamber.
Preferably, the pouch comprises an entrance aperture in a face thereof.
Preferably, the first and second chambers are separated by one or more walls acting as a non-return system to allow liquid in the first chamber to enter the second chamber, but to obstruct matter in the second chamber from passing into the first chamber.
Preferably, the non-return system is effective to prevent liquid in the secon

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