Ostomy pouch with filtering system

Abstract

An ostomy appliance including an ostomy pouch with a filter and a center pleated panel to protect the filter, facilitate deodorization and deter ballooning.

Claims

1. An ostomy appliance comprising a pouch comprising: a) a front panel comprising a filter assembly; b) a rear panel comprising a stomal opening for fitting around a stoma, wherein the front panel and rear panel are at least partly sealed to each other along their peripheries; and c) a center panel between the front panel and the rear panel comprising a top edge and a bottom edge, the center panel attached to the front and rear panel to at least partially cover the filter assembly to protect the filter assembly from coming into contact with bodily waste from the stomal opening, wherein the center panel is predeterminedly dimensioned and intermittently attached to the front panel to produce extra material, the extra material deterring ballooning of the pouch.

2. The ostomy appliance of claim 1, wherein the center panel is intermittently attached to a portion of the front panel by welds.

3. The ostomy appliance of claim 1, wherein the rear panel comprises an opening for permitting and facilitating passage of body waste odor deodorized by the filter assembly to the atmosphere.

4. The ostomy appliance of claim 1, further comprising an open cell foam positioned between the filter assembly and the center panel.

5. The ostomy appliance of claim 1, wherein the filter assembly is an axial flow filter or strip filter.

6. The ostomy appliance of claim 1, wherein the filter assembly is a strip filter.

7. The ostomy appliance of claim 6, wherein the strip filter is wrapped with an odor barrier film around its perimeter.

8. The ostomy appliance of claim 5, wherein the filter comprises activated carbon.

9. The ostomy appliance of claim 1, wherein the pouch is a drainable pouch.

10. The ostomy appliance of claim 1, wherein the pouch is a closed pouch.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a graph of the life of filter defined by time to clog as tested by tilt table.

(3) FIG. 2 is a graph of the effect of relative humidity on H.sub.2S deodorization breakthrough time in air.

(4) FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of an ostomy appliance in accordance with the present invention.

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 1.

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line D-D of FIG. 1 (without the stomal flange and filter, for clarity).

(7) FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the ostomy appliance of FIG. 1 (without the stomal flange, for clarity).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(8) The present invention is an ostomy appliance 10 (FIGS. 3-6) having a front panel 12 and rear panel 14 that are sealed together around the peripheries of the panels to form the outer edge 16 of a closed ostomy pouch 18. The rear panel 14 includes a stomal opening 20 through which body waste is excreted when the ostomy pouch is appropriately placed on a body with the stomal opening 20 surrounding the stoma. The ostomy pouch 18 includes a filter assembly 22 attached to the front panel 12 typically by welding. The rear panel 14 includes an opening for permitting and facilitating the passage of the body waste odor deodorized by the filter assembly 22 to the atmosphere.

(9) The ostomy pouch 18 further includes a center pleated panel 28 present between the front panel 12 and rear panel 14. This center pleated panel 28 includes an edge 30 attached to the outer edge 16 of the ostomy pouch 18. The center pleated panel has a partially free edge portion 32 that is attached intermittently 34 to the inner surface of the front panel 12. This center pleated panel 28 is predeterminedly dimensioned and attached to the front panel 12 in a manner to produce extra material in the form of folds, corrugations or pleats 36 within the pouch 18; the pleats 36 permit odorous gas to reach the filter assembly 22 for deodorization while deterring a ballooning of the pouch 18 due to captured gas within the pouch.

(10) The pleated center panel 28 extends partially down from the top 36 of the ostomy pouch so as to at least partially and preferably totally cover and protect the filter assembly 22 from any body waste material entering the pouch 18 through the stomal opening 20. The pleats 36 are formed in part by the spot welds 38 securing the edge portion 32 to the front panel 12. The pleated center panel 28 has a bottom edge 40. The pleated center panel 28 is preferably made of the same standard ostomy pouch material used for the front panel 12 and rear panel 14.

(11) Variations and modifications to the preferred embodiment may be made while falling within the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims.

(12) While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.