Patent Description:
Ostomy pouches for the collection of body waste are well known.

One such example is <CIT> which is the closest prior art to the present and discloses an ostomy appliance comprising a receiving member and a disposable bag liner, a method for producing a compacted inner bag liner.

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.

The present invention relates to an ostomy appliance according to the claims.

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:.

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, <FIG> show an embodiment of an ostomy appliance <NUM>. <FIG> illustrate the ostomy appliance <NUM> in a compacted state <NUM>, and <FIG> illustrates the ostomy appliance <NUM> in a deployed state <NUM>. The ostomy appliance <NUM> generally includes a pouch <NUM>, a skin barrier <NUM>, and a tear-away panel <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the pouch <NUM> is a full size ostomy pouch, which can be provided in different sizes.

As shown in an exploded view in <FIG> and a cross-sectional view in <FIG>, the pouch <NUM> is folded and secured in place with the tear-away panel <NUM>, such that the pouch <NUM> is completely contained within a cavity <NUM> defined between the tear-away panel <NUM> and the skin barrier <NUM>. The tear-away panel <NUM> is peelably attached to the pouch side surface <NUM> of the skin barrier <NUM> to form the ostomy appliance <NUM> in the compacted state <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The ostomy appliance <NUM> in the compacted state <NUM> is significantly smaller in size when compared to the ostomy appliance <NUM> in the deployed state <NUM> (<FIG>), in which the pouch <NUM> is fully deployed.

The ostomy appliance <NUM> in the compacted state <NUM> 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 <NUM> to deploy the pouch <NUM>. 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 <NUM>, generally described, additional structural details of the ostomy appliance <NUM> will be described. As shown <FIG> and <FIG>, the pouch <NUM> includes a body side wall <NUM>, an outer wall <NUM>, and a non-woven sheet <NUM>. The body side wall <NUM> and the outer wall <NUM> are sealed together along their outer peripheral edges <NUM> to define a cavity <NUM> for collecting stoma discharge. The non-woven sheet <NUM> is attached on the outer surface of the outer wall <NUM>. 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 <NUM> of this embodiment is designed for a single use, thus has a closed end <NUM> 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 <CIT>, and <CIT>, both of which serve as background information to the present invention.

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 <NUM> is provided with an inlet opening <NUM> to receive a stoma. The skin barrier <NUM> is arranged about the inlet opening <NUM> for attachment around the stoma. The skin barrier <NUM> includes an adhesive <NUM>, a barrier backing <NUM>, and a release liner <NUM>. The barrier backing <NUM> is laminated on the pouch side surface of the adhesive <NUM>. The body side wall <NUM> is attached to the barrier backing <NUM> proximate the inlet opening <NUM>. The body side wall <NUM> can be attached to the barrier backing <NUM> via any suitable methods, such as an adhesive or heat sealing. Preferably, the body side wall <NUM> is heat sealed to the barrier backing <NUM>. The body side wall <NUM> and the outer wall <NUM> can be formed of the same material or different materials, which can be a single layer film or a multilayer film. The barrier backing <NUM> may also be formed of a single layer film or a multilayer film. Preferably, the body side wall <NUM> and the barrier backing <NUM> are formed of films, which include a heat sealable surface layer, such that the body side wall <NUM> and the barrier backing <NUM> can be heat sealed together.

The pouch <NUM> may also be provided with a filter <NUM>, such as those disclosed in <CIT>, and <CIT>, both of which serve as background information to the present invention.

The filter <NUM> is strategically arranged on the pouch <NUM> such that flatus gases in the pouch <NUM> can still exit via the filter <NUM> when the ostomy appliance <NUM> is in the compacted state <NUM>. Although, the filter <NUM> of the illustrated embodiment is attached to an inner surface of the pouch <NUM>, 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 <NUM> is shaped and sized such that an outer periphery <NUM> of the tear-away panel <NUM> generally matches an outer periphery <NUM> of the skin barrier <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The tear-away panel <NUM> includes a pull-tab <NUM> extending from a peripheral edge <NUM>. The pull-tab <NUM> is integrally formed with the tear-away panel <NUM> in this embodiment, however, the pull-tab may be a separate member arranged between the tear-away panel <NUM> and the barrier backing <NUM> 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 <NUM> is arranged on the top peripheral edge <NUM> of the tear-away panel <NUM> 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 <NUM> from the barrier backing <NUM>.

To form the ostomy appliance <NUM> in a compacted state <NUM>, the pouch <NUM> is folded or gathered toward a center <NUM> on the barrier backing <NUM>, such that the peripheral edges <NUM> of the pouch <NUM> do not extend beyond the outer periphery <NUM> of the skin barrier. The pouch <NUM> is folded or gathered to leave a sealing space <NUM> proximate the outer periphery <NUM> of the skin barrier <NUM> for the attachment of the tear-away panel <NUM>. When folding or gathering the pouch <NUM>, the folds or gathers are formed such that the filter <NUM> is not obstructed by the folds or gathers to allow flatus gasses in the pouch <NUM> to exit the ostomy appliance <NUM> via the filter <NUM> and through the tear-away panel <NUM> when in the compacted state <NUM>.

The tear-away panel <NUM> is peelably attached to the barrier backing <NUM> such that the tear-away panel <NUM> can be removed or peeled away from the barrier backing <NUM> without ripping or damaging the skin barrier <NUM>. Further, the peelable attachment between the tear-away panel <NUM> and the barrier backing <NUM> is configured such that the tear-away panel <NUM> can be easily removed from the barrier backing <NUM> without interrupting a seal between the adhesive <NUM> and user's skin. Such peelable attachment between the tear-away-panel <NUM> and the barrier backing <NUM> can be obtained via any suitable method, such as peelable adhesives or heat sealing. The tear-away panel <NUM> 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 <NUM> is formed of a material, which can form a peelably seal with the barrier backing <NUM> by heat sealing.

In the illustrated embodiment, the pouch <NUM> is folded in four ways, such that the peripheral edges <NUM> of the pouch <NUM> are folded toward the center of the barrier backing <NUM> to form the ostomy appliance <NUM> in the compacted state <NUM>. In other embodiments, the pouch <NUM> can be folded less than four times or greater than four times as long as the pouch <NUM> is contained within the cavity <NUM> formed between the barrier backing <NUM> and the tear-away panel <NUM> when their peripheries <NUM>, <NUM> are sealed together. For example, the pouch <NUM> can be gathered on the barrier backing <NUM> with multiple gathers to fit between the barrier backing <NUM> and the tear-away panel <NUM>.

The pouch <NUM> can come in various sizes. In one embodiment, the pouch <NUM> has a surface area <NUM> with a length <NUM> of about <NUM> inches and a width <NUM> of about <NUM> inches when fully deployed, as shown in <FIG>. The tear-away panel <NUM> has a generally a rectangular shape with rounded corners, and has a surface area <NUM> with a length <NUM> of about <NUM> inches and a width <NUM> of about <NUM> inches. The skin barrier <NUM> has a corresponding shape and sizes such that the outer peripheries of the tear-away panel <NUM> and the skin barrier <NUM> generally match when sealed together to form the mini pouch. The pouch <NUM> is folded or gathered, and secured in place by attaching the tear-away panel <NUM> on the peripheral edges of the barrier backing <NUM> to form the ostomy appliance <NUM> in the compacted state <NUM>. As such, the ostomy appliance <NUM> in the compacted state <NUM> has a surface area <NUM> equal to that of the tear-away panel <NUM>. The appliance <NUM> in the deployed state <NUM> has a surface area <NUM>, which is the same as that of the fully deployed pouch <NUM>. 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 <NUM> inches.

When in use, the user attaches the ostomy appliance <NUM> in the compacted state <NUM> around the stoma by peeling off the release liner <NUM> and placing the exposed adhesive around the stoma, such that the stoma is received in the inlet opening <NUM> to allow stoma discharge to flow into the cavity <NUM>. The ostomy appliance <NUM> in the compacted state <NUM> 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 <NUM> in the deployed state <NUM>. However, since the pouch <NUM> is folded or gathered, and contained within the cavity <NUM> between the tear-away panel <NUM> and the barrier backing <NUM>, a collection capacity of the pouch <NUM> is also significantly reduced as the pouch can only expand within the cavity <NUM> to hold the stoma discharge. Although, the collection capacity is smaller when compared to the fully deployed pouch <NUM>, the mini pouch can still contain some stomal discharge and allow flatus gasses to exit via the filter <NUM>, 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 <NUM> to remove the tear-away panel <NUM> to deploy the pouch <NUM>. In the deployed state <NUM>, the fully deployed pouch <NUM> 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 <NUM> times, and preferably by at least <NUM> times. Thus, the ostomy appliance <NUM> provides the user with a desirable mini pouch with the capability to increase the collection capacity.

<FIG> shows a cross-sectional view of a mini pouch <NUM> according another embodiment. Similar to the ostomy appliance <NUM>, the mini pouch <NUM> includes a pouch <NUM> and a tear-away panel <NUM>. However, the pouch <NUM> is a two-piece pouch with a pouch side coupling ring <NUM>, instead of the skin barrier <NUM> of the ostomy appliance <NUM>. The pouch side coupling ring <NUM> 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 <NUM> is attached to the skin barrier by coupling the pouch side coupling ring <NUM> with the body side coupling ring (not shown.

The mini pouch <NUM> also includes a backing panel <NUM>. The pouch <NUM> is attached on a first surface <NUM> of the backing panel <NUM> about an inlet opening <NUM>, and the pouch side coupling <NUM> is attached on a second surface <NUM> of the backing panel <NUM>. Other aspects of the pouch <NUM> are the same as pouch <NUM> of the previously described embodiment. The mini pouch <NUM> includes a pull-tab <NUM>, which is arranged between the tear-away panel <NUM> and the backing panel <NUM> proximate their peripheral edges. The pull-tab <NUM> is attached at least to the tear-away panel <NUM> or attached both to the tear-away panel <NUM> and the backing panel <NUM>. Preferably, the pull-tab <NUM> is permanently attached to the tear-away panel <NUM>, such that the pull-tab <NUM> remains attached to the tear-away panel <NUM> as the user pulls on the pull-tab to remove the tear-away panel <NUM> to deploy the pouch <NUM>. As it was with the ostomy appliance <NUM>, the mini pouch <NUM> is formed by folding and gathering the pouch <NUM>. The folded or gathered pouch <NUM> is secured in place by sealing the peripheral edges of the tear-away panel <NUM> and the backing panel <NUM> together. The collection capacity of the mini pouch <NUM> can be increased by removing the tear-away panel <NUM> and deploying the pouch <NUM>, as described in detail above with regard to the ostomy appliance <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An ostomy appliance (<NUM>), comprising:
a pouch (<NUM>, <NUM>), the pouch (<NUM>, <NUM>) including an inlet (<NUM>), a body side wall (<NUM>), and an outer wall (<NUM>), wherein the body side wall (<NUM>) and the outer wall (<NUM>) are sealed together along their peripheral edges (<NUM>) to define a cavity (<NUM>) for collecting body waste; and
a user-removable tear-away panel (<NUM>);
wherein the ostomy appliance (<NUM>) has a compacted state (<NUM>) having a first surface area, and a deployed state (<NUM>) having a second surface area, the second surface area being greater than the first surface area, and wherein the ostomy appliance (<NUM>) is configured to change from the compacted state (<NUM>) to the deployed state (<NUM>) upon removal of the tear-away panel (<NUM>) by a user,
wherein the peripheral edges (<NUM>) of the pouch are hidden behind the tear-away panel (<NUM>) in the compacted state (<NUM>),
wherein the ostomy appliance (<NUM>) in the compacted state (<NUM>) is configured to collect body waste and has a first body waste collection capacity, and the ostomy appliance (<NUM>) in the deployed state is configured to collect body waste and has a second body waste collection capacity, wherein the second body waste collection capacity is greater than the first body waste collection capacity,
characterised in that
the ostomy appliance further comprises a filter (<NUM>) attached on an outer surface of the pouch (<NUM>,<NUM>);
and in that the filter allows flatus gasses in the pouch (<NUM>,<NUM>) to exit the ostomy appliance (<NUM>).