Abstract:
An ostomy appliance is sufficiently small to provide the user with a desired level of discretion, and can also provide an expanded collection capacity to accommodate sudden outflows of stomal discharge.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a National Stage Application of International Patent Application No. PCT/US012/027215, filed Mar. 1, 2012, which claims the benefit of and priority to US Provisional Application No. 61/521,599, filed Aug. 9, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated fully by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to ostomy appliances, and more particularly to an ostomy pouch for collecting body waste through a stomal opening for later disposal. 
     Ostomy pouches for the collection of body waste are well known. Ostomy pouches typically include flat, opposing side walls secured together along their edges to define a collection cavity. One of the side walls is provided with an opening to receive a stoma, and means such as a connecting flange is provided for securing the pouch to an adhesive barrier placed to surround the stoma so that body waste discharged through the stoma is received within the cavity. At its lower end, the ostomy pouch may have a discharge opening which may be closed during collection of the body waste material but may be opened for draining the body waste material from the pouch after a period of use. Alternatively, the ostomy pouch may be designed for a single use, in which case, it will not be provided with a discharge opening since the entire pouch will be discarded after it has substantially filled with stomal discharge. 
     Ostomy pouches are available in various sizes for different collecting capacity needs for different users or for different situations of an individual user. For example, the user will want to use a large ostomy bag over night, but may desire to use a smaller ostomy bag or cap for discretion during public activities or when exercising. However, as stomal discharge cannot be regulated at will, the small ostomy bag or cap may not provide sufficient collection capacity to contain a sudden outflow of stomal discharge. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for an improved ostomy pouch that is small enough to provide the discretion desired by the user, yet can also provide a sufficient collection capacity to contain sudden outflows of stomal discharge. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     A mini ostomy pouch according to various embodiments is sufficiently small to provide a higher degree of discretion for the user, yet configured to expand to provide collection capacity of a full size ostomy pouch to accommodate sudden outflows of stomal discharge, thereby providing the user with added security. 
     In one aspect, an ostomy appliance includes a pouch and a tear-away panel. The pouch includes an inlet and two walls, to wit, a body side wall and an outer wall, which are sealed together along their peripheral edges to define a cavity for collecting body waste. The ostomy appliance has a compacted state and a deployed state. The ostomy appliance in the deployed state has a surface area, which is greater than that of the ostomy appliance in the compacted state. The ostomy appliance is configured to change from the compacted state to the deployed state by removing the tear-away panel. 
     In another aspect, an ostomy appliance includes a pouch and a tear-away panel. The pouch includes an inlet and two walls, to wit, a body side wall and an outer wall, which are sealed together along their peripheral edges to define a cavity for collecting body waste. The ostomy appliance has a compacted state and a deployed state. In the compacted state, the peripheral edges of the pouch walls are hidden behind the tear-away panel. 
     Any of above described ostomy appliances can further include a skin barrier arranged about the inlet. The skin barrier includes a barrier backing and an adhesive for attaching the ostomy appliance on a user, such that the body waste flows into the cavity through the inlet. The barrier backing is laminated on the pouch side surface of the adhesive. The body side wall of the pouch is attached to the barrier backing proximate the inlet, and the tear-away panel is attached along peripheral edges of the barrier backing. The pouch is folded or gathered such that the pouch is contained between the barrier backing and the tear-away panel in the compacted state. 
     Any of above described ostomy appliances can further include a pull-tab arranged proximate a peripheral edge of the tear-away panel. The pull-tab may be integrally formed with the tear-away panel or may be a separate piece arranged between the tear-away panel and the barrier backing. The tear-away panel can be peelably attached to the barrier backing such that the tear-away panel is peeled away from the barrier backing by pulling on the pull-tab. In one embodiment, the tear-away panel is peelably attached to the barrier backing by heat sealing. In another embodiment, the tear-away panel is peelably attached to the barrier baking by an adhesive. 
     In some embodiments, the ostomy appliance can include a two-piece ostomy pouch including a pouch side coupling ring and a body side coupling ring, wherein the pouch is folded or gathered behind the tear-away panel when in the compacted state. 
     Any of the above described ostomy appliances can include the tear-away panel formed of a non-woven sheet. 
     Any of the above described ostomy appliances has a first body waste collection capacity when in the compacted state and a second body waste collection capacity when in the deployed state, wherein the second body waste collection capacity is greater than the first body waste collection capacity. In one embodiment, the second body waste collection capacity is at least three times greater than the first body waste collection capacity. 
     Any of the above described ostomy appliances can include a single use disposable pouch without an outlet, or a pouch including an outlet with a closure mechanism. 
     Other aspects, objectives and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The benefits and advantages of the present embodiments will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an ostomy appliance including a one-piece ostomy pouch in a compacted state according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the ostomy appliance of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the ostomy appliance of  FIG. 1  taken along line A-A; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the ostomy appliance of  FIG. 1  in a deployed state; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the one-piece ostomy pouch of  FIG. 4  taken along line B-B; and 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of an ostomy appliance including a two-piece ostomy pouch according to another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While the present disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiment illustrated. 
     Referring now to the figures,  FIGS. 1-4  show an embodiment of an ostomy appliance  10 .  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate the ostomy appliance  10  in a compacted state  11 , and  FIG. 4  illustrates the ostomy appliance  10  in a deployed state  13 . The ostomy appliance  10  generally includes a pouch  12 , a skin barrier  14 , and a tear-away panel  16 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the pouch  12  is a full size ostomy pouch, which can be provided in different sizes. 
     As shown in an exploded view in  FIG. 3  and a cross-sectional view in  FIG. 2 , the pouch  12  is folded and secured in place with the tear-away panel  16 , such that the pouch  12  is completely contained within a cavity  15  defined between the tear-away panel  16  and the skin barrier  14 . The tear-away panel  16  is peelably attached to the pouch side surface  17  of the skin barrier  14  to form the ostomy appliance  10  in the compacted state  11 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The ostomy appliance  10  in the compacted state  11  is significantly smaller in size when compared to the ostomy appliance  10  in the deployed state  13  ( FIG. 4 ), in which the pouch  12  is fully deployed. 
     The ostomy appliance  10  in the compacted state  11  is also referred to herein as a mini pouch or a mini ostomy appliance due to the significant reduction in size when compared to the fully deployed, full size ostomy pouch. The mini pouch in the illustrated embodiment has substantially the same surface area as the peel-away panel. The mini pouch can come in many different sizes, preferably in a size similar to ostomy caps. When a large capacity pouch is needed, the user can remove the tear-away panel  16  to deploy the pouch  12 . Thus, the user can wear the mini pouch when more discretion is desired, such as in public, without concern about conditions due to leakage caused by, for example, a sudden outflow of stoma discharge. 
     With the ostomy appliance  10 , generally described, additional structural details of the ostomy appliance  10  will be described. As shown  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the pouch  12  includes a body side wall  18 , an outer wall  20 , and a non-woven sheet  22 . The body side wall  18  and the outer wall  20  are sealed together along their outer peripheral edges  21  to define a cavity  24  for collecting stoma discharge. The non-woven sheet  22  is attached on the outer surface of the outer wall  20 . The non-woven sheet is optional, thus some embodiments may not include the non-woven sheet or may include the non-woven sheet only on the outer surface of the body side wall or on the outer surfaces of both walls. 
     The pouch  12  of this embodiment is designed for a single use, thus has a closed end  34  without a discharge outlet. In other embodiments, the pouch may include a discharge outlet which may be closed during collection of the stoma discharge and opened for periodic draining of the stoma discharge from the pouch. For example, the pouch may include an outlet with a fold-up type closure, such as those disclosed in Villefrance, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,879,015, and Mandzij, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,879,016, both of which are commonly assigned with the present application and are incorporated herein by reference. In such embodiments, the discharge opening is closed before the pouch is folded and secured with the tear-away panel to form the mini ostomy appliance. 
     The body side wall  18  is provided with an inlet opening  26  to receive a stoma. The skin barrier  14  is arranged about the inlet opening  26  for attachment around the stoma. The skin barrier  14  includes an adhesive  28 , a barrier backing  30 , and a release liner  32 . The barrier backing  30  is laminated on the pouch side surface of the adhesive  28 . The body side wall  18  is attached to the barrier backing  30  proximate the inlet opening  26 . The body side wall  18  can be attached to the barrier backing  30  via any suitable methods, such as an adhesive or heat sealing. Preferably, the body side wall  18  is heat sealed to the barrier backing  30 . The body side wall  18  and the outer wall  20  can be formed of the same material or different materials, which can be a single layer film or a multilayer film. The barrier backing  30  may also be formed of a single layer film or a multilayer film. Preferably, the body side wall  18  and the barrier backing  30  are formed of films, which include a heat sealable surface layer, such that the body side wall  18  and the barrier backing  30  can be heat sealed together. 
     The pouch  12  may also be provided with a filter  36 , such as those disclosed in Nolan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,727, and Botten, U.S. Pat. No. 7,559,922, both of which are commonly assigned with the present application and are incorporated herein by reference. The filter  36  is strategically arranged on the pouch  12  such that flatus gases in the pouch  12  can still exit via the filter  36  when the ostomy appliance  10  is in the compacted state  11 . Although, the filter  36  of the illustrated embodiment is attached to an inner surface of the pouch  12 , in other embodiments, the filter may be attached on an outer surface of the pouch, or the pouch may not include a filter. 
     The tear-away panel  16  is shaped and sized such that an outer periphery  42  of the tear-away panel  16  generally matches an outer periphery  44  of the skin barrier  14 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The tear-away panel  16  includes a pull-tab  60  extending from a peripheral edge  62 . The pull-tab  60  is integrally formed with the tear-away panel  16  in this embodiment, however, the pull-tab may be a separate member arranged between the tear-away panel  16  and the barrier backing  30  in other embodiments, such that the pull-tab extends out of the sealed peripheral edges of the tear-away panel and the barrier backing Although the pull-tab  60  is arranged on the top peripheral edge  62  of the tear-away panel  16  in the illustrated embodiment, the pull-tab can be arranged in different peripheral locations, such as at a corner or on a bottom peripheral edge, as long as the user can grasp the pull-tab and apply a pulling force to remove or peel away the tear-away panel  16  from the barrier backing  30 . 
     To form the ostomy appliance  10  in a compacted state  11 , the pouch  12  is folded or gathered toward a center  64  on the barrier backing  30 , such that the peripheral edges  21  of the pouch  12  do not extend beyond the outer periphery  44  of the skin barrier. The pouch  12  is folded or gathered to leave a sealing space  50  proximate the outer periphery  44  of the skin barrier  14  for the attachment of the tear-away panel  16 . When folding or gathering the pouch  12 , the folds or gathers are formed such that the filter  36  is not obstructed by the folds or gathers to allow flatus gasses in the pouch  12  to exit the ostomy appliance  10  via the filter  36  and through the tear-away panel  16  when in the compacted state  11 . 
     The tear-away panel  16  is peelably attached to the barrier backing  30  such that the tear-away panel  16  can be removed or peeled away from the barrier backing  30  without ripping or damaging the skin barrier  14 . Further, the peelable attachment between the tear-away panel  16  and the barrier backing  30  is configured such that the tear-away panel  16  can be easily removed from the barrier backing  30  without interrupting a seal between the adhesive  28  and user&#39;s skin. Such peelable attachment between the tear-away-panel  16  and the barrier backing  30  can be obtained via any suitable method, such as peelable adhesives or heat sealing. The tear-away panel  16  can be formed of any suitable material, such as a polymeric film or a non-woven sheet, preferably, a non-woven sheet. Preferably, the tear-away panel  16  is formed of a material, which can form a peelably seal with the barrier backing  30  by heat sealing. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the pouch  12  is folded in four ways, such that the peripheral edges  21  of the pouch  12  are folded toward the center of the barrier backing  30  to form the ostomy appliance  10  in the compacted state  11 . In other embodiments, the pouch  12  can be folded less than four times or greater than four times as long as the pouch  12  is contained within the cavity  15  formed between the barrier backing  30  and the tear-away panel  16  when their peripheries  42 ,  44  are sealed together. For example, the pouch  12  can be gathered on the barrier backing  30  with multiple gathers to fit between the barrier backing  30  and the tear-away panel  16 . 
     The pouch  12  can come in various sizes. In one embodiment, the pouch  12  has a surface area  37  with a length  38  of about 9 inches and a width  40  of about 6 inches when fully deployed, as shown in  FIG. 4 . The tear-away panel  16  has a generally a rectangular shape with rounded corners, and has a surface area  51  with a length  52  of about 4 inches and a width  54  of about 4 inches. The skin barrier  14  has a corresponding shape and sizes such that the outer peripheries of the tear-away panel  16  and the skin barrier  14  generally match when sealed together to form the mini pouch. The pouch  12  is folded or gathered, and secured in place by attaching the tear-away panel  16  on the peripheral edges of the barrier backing  30  to form the ostomy appliance  10  in the compacted state  11 . As such, the ostomy appliance  10  in the compacted state  11  has a surface area  51  equal to that of the tear-away panel  16 . The appliance  10  in the deployed state  13  has a surface area  37 , which is the same as that of the fully deployed pouch  12 . The mini pouch can come in various shapes and sizes. For example, the mini pouch can have a circular shape with a diameter of about 3 inches. 
     When in use, the user attaches the ostomy appliance  10  in the compacted state  11  around the stoma by peeling off the release liner  32  and placing the exposed adhesive around the stoma, such that the stoma is received in the inlet opening  26  to allow stoma discharge to flow into the cavity  24 . The ostomy appliance  10  in the compacted state  11  provides the user with a higher degree of discretion with a significant reduction in the ostomy appliance size when compared to the fully deployed pouch  12  in the deployed state  13 . However, since the pouch  12  is folded or gathered, and contained within the cavity  15  between the tear-away panel  16  and the barrier backing  30 , a collection capacity of the pouch  12  is also significantly reduced as the pouch can only expand within the cavity  15  to hold the stoma discharge. Although, the collection capacity is smaller when compared to the fully deployed pouch  12 , the mini pouch can still contain some stomal discharge and allow flatus gasses to exit via the filter  36 , while the user enjoys the higher degree of discretion. When the user desires to increase the collection capacity, for example to accommodate sudden outflows of stomal discharge, the user can pull on the pull-tab  60  to remove the tear-away panel  16  to deploy the pouch  12 . In the deployed state  13 , the fully deployed pouch  12  provides the user with an increased collection capacity to contain the stomal discharge without leakage. In one embodiment, the collection capacity of the ostomy appliance in the deployed state is greater than that of the ostomy appliance in the compacted state by at least 2 times, and preferably by at least 3 times. Thus, the ostomy appliance  10  provides the user with a desirable mini pouch with the capability to increase the collection capacity. 
       FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of a mini pouch  70  according another embodiment. Similar to the ostomy appliance  10 , the mini pouch  70  includes a pouch  72  and a tear-away panel  74 . However, the pouch  72  is a two-piece pouch with a pouch side coupling ring  78 , instead of the skin barrier  14  of the ostomy appliance  10 . The pouch side coupling ring  78  is configured to mate with a body side coupling ring (not shown) on a skin barrier (not shown). In this embodiment, the skin barrier is first attached to the user around a stoma, and the mini pouch  70  is attached to the skin barrier by coupling the pouch side coupling ring  78  with the body side coupling ring (not shown.) 
     The mini pouch  70  also includes a backing panel  76 . The pouch  72  is attached on a first surface  80  of the backing panel  76  about an inlet opening  84 , and the pouch side coupling  78  is attached on a second surface  82  of the backing panel  76 . Other aspects of the pouch  72  are the same as pouch  12  of the previously described embodiment. The mini pouch  70  includes a pull-tab  86 , which is arranged between the tear-away panel  74  and the backing panel  76  proximate their peripheral edges. The pull-tab  86  is attached at least to the tear-away panel  74  or attached both to the tear-away panel  74  and the backing panel  76 . Preferably, the pull-tab  86  is permanently attached to the tear-away panel  74 , such that the pull-tab  86  remains attached to the tear-away panel  74  as the user pulls on the pull-tab to remove the tear-away panel  74  to deploy the pouch  72 . As it was with the ostomy appliance  10 , the mini pouch  70  is formed by folding and gathering the pouch  72 . The folded or gathered pouch  72  is secured in place by sealing the peripheral edges of the tear-away panel  74  and the backing panel  76  together. The collection capacity of the mini pouch  70  can be increased by removing the tear-away panel  74  and deploying the pouch  72 , as described in detail above with regard to the ostomy appliance  10 . 
     All patents referred to herein, are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety, by reference, whether or not specifically indicated as such within the text of this disclosure. 
     In the present disclosure, the words “a” or “an” are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference to plural items shall, where appropriate, include the singular. 
     From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.