ARTIFICIAL STOMA DEVICE

Abstract

An artificial stoma device adapted to be installed in an abdomen includes a solid unit and a hollow unit. The solid unit includes a blocking member adapted to block off a downstream section of an intestine in the abdomen. The hollow unit is detachably connected to the solid unit, and includes a conduit having a guiding space that has opposite first and second open ends adapted to be disposed respectively at an upstream section of the intestine and an opening of a skin tissue of the abdomen, and an anti-blocking structure formed on an inner surrounding surface of the conduit for preventing the upstream section of the intestine from entering and blocking the guiding space via the second open end during peristalsis of the intestine.

Claims

1. An artificial stoma device adapted to be installed in an abdomen, the abdomen containing an intestine which is formed with a radial side opening, and having a skin tissue which is formed with an opening being registered with the radial side opening, the intestine having an upstream section that is disposed upstream of the radial side opening and a downstream section that is disposed downstream of the radial side opening, said artificial stoma device comprising: a solid unit adapted to be inserted into the downstream section of the intestine via the opening of the skin tissue and the radial side opening of the intestine, said solid unit including a blocking member that is adapted to block the downstream section and that has a contacting face adapted for facing the upstream section, and a first connecting member that is connected fixedly to said contacting face of said blocking member; and a hollow unit adapted to be inserted into the upstream section of the intestine via the opening of the skin tissue and the radial side opening of the intestine, said hollow unit including a conduit that has an outer surrounding surface, and an inner surrounding surface being opposite to said outer surrounding surface and defining a guiding space, said guiding space having first and second open ends that are opposite to each other and that are adapted to be disposed respectively at the upstream section of the intestine and the opening of the skin tissue, a second connecting member that is connected fixedly to said outer surrounding surface, and that is detachably connected to said first connecting member of said solid unit, and an anti-blocking structure that is formed on said inner surrounding surface of said conduit and that extends towards said second open end of said guiding space for preventing the upstream section of the intestine from entering and blocking said guiding space via said second open end during peristalsis of the intestine.

2. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim wherein: said solid unit further includes a first fixing member that is connected fixedly to said contacting face of said blocking member, and that is spaced apart from said first connecting member; said hollow unit further including a second fixing member that is connected fixedly to said outer surrounding surface of said conduit, and that is spaced apart from said second connecting member; and said first fixing member and said second fixing member are adapted to cooperatively clip a portion of the intestine therebetween.

3. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first fixing member of said solid unit and said second fixing member of said hollow unit are magnets.

4. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim further comprising an outer unit that includes a cover member adapted to cover removably the opening of the skin tissue.

5. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim wherein: said solid unit further includes a first portal member that has an external segment adapted to be disposed outside of the opening of the skin tissue, and an internal segment adapted to extend through the opening of the skin tissue, and connected to said contacting face of said blocking member; said first portal member and said blocking member are adapted to cooperatively clip the skin tissue and the downstream section of the intestine therebetween; said hollow unit further including a second portal member that has an external segment adapted to be disposed outside of the opening of the skin tissue and connected to said conduit; and said second portal member and said conduit are adapted to cooperatively clip the skin tissue and the upstream section of the intestine therebetween.

6. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising an outer unit including a pouch that defines a collecting space, and a linking member that is connected fixedly to said pouch and that is connected detachably to said first portal member of said solid unit and said second portal member of said hollow unit.

7. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim wherein: said solid unit further includes a first portal member that has an external segment adapted to be disposed outside of the opening of the skin tissue, and an internal segment adapted to extend through the opening of the skin tissue, and connected to said contacting face of said blocking member; said hollow unit further includes a second portal member that has an external segment adapted to be disposed outside of the opening of the skin tissue and connected to said conduit; and said artificial stoma device further comprising a filling member that is adapted to be fittingly received in a gap defined between said external segment of said first portal member and the skin tissue and a gap defined between said external segment of said second portal member and the skin tissue.

8. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said filling member is ring-shaped and is made of an elastic material.

9. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said filling member is of a silicone material that is configured to fill the gap before curing.

10. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said first connecting member has an end surface distal from, said contacting face of said blocking member; and said second connecting member has an end surface distal from said conduit, connected detachably to said end surface of said first connecting member, and has a contour identical to that of said end surface of said first connecting member.

11. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said anti-blocking structure of said hollow unit has a spiral portion that extends spirally along said inner surrounding surface, and that protrudes from said inner surrounding surface towards said second open end of said guiding space.

12. The artificial stoma device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said anti-blocking structure of said hollow unit has a plurality of protruding portions that are spaced apart from each other, and that protrude from said inner surrounding surface towards said second open end of said guiding space.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a conventional artificial stoma device connecting an intestine to a human abdomen;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a setup of forming a side opening in the intestine;

[0014] FIG. 3 is an exploded side view of a first embodiment of the artificial stoma device according to the disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the installation process of the first embodiment in an abdomen;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a partly exploded sectional view of a solid unit, a hollow unit, and a cover member of an outer unit of the first embodiment;

[0017] FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views illustrating the installation process of a pouch of the outer unit onto the solid unit and the hollow unit;

[0018] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the artificial stoma device according to the disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the artificial stoma device according to the disclosure; and

[0020] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a variation of the third embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a first embodiment of the artificial stoma device according to the present disclosure is adapted to be installed in an abdomen 9 of a patient. The abdomen 9 contains an intestine 91 formed with a radial side opening 910, and has a skin tissue 92 formed with an opening 920 that is registered with the radial side opening 910. The intestine 91 has an upstream section 911 that is disposed upstream of the radial side opening 910, and a downstream section 912 that is disposed downstream of the radial side opening 910. Excrement of the abdomen 9 is originally transported from the upstream section 911 to the downstream section 912. The present embodiment of the artificial stoma device includes a solid unit 3, a hollow unit 4 and an outer unit 5.

[0022] The solid unit 3 is adapted to be inserted into the downstream section 912 of the intestine 91 via the opening 920 of the skin tissue 92 and the radial side opening 910 of the intestine 91. In certain embodiments, the solid unit 3 is made of medical grade silicones that are biocompatible, and that has certain flexibility and rigidity.

[0023] The solid unit 3 includes a blocking member 31, a first connecting member 32, a first fixing member 33, and a first portal member 34. The blocking member 31 is adapted to block the downstream section 912 and has a contacting face 311 adapted for facing the upstream section 911. The first connecting member 32 is connected fixedly to the contacting face 311 of the blocking member 31. The first fixing member 33 is connected fixedly to the contacting face 311 of the blocking member 31, and is spaced apart from the first connecting member 32. The first portal member 34 has an external segment adapted to be disposed outside of the opening 920, and an internal segment adapted to extend through the opening 920, and connected to the contacting face 311 of the blocking member 31. In the present embodiment, the first fixing member 33 is a magnet.

[0024] The hollow unit 4 is adapted to be inserted into the upstream section 911 of the intestine 91 via the opening 920 of the skin tissue 92 and the radial side opening 910 of the intestine 91. In certain embodiments, the hollow unit 4 is made of medical grade silicones that are biocompatible, and that has certain flexibility and rigidity.

[0025] The hollow unit 4 includes a conduit 41, a second connecting member 42, a second fixing member 43, a second portal member 44 and an anti-blocking structure 45. The conduit 41 has an outer surrounding surface 411, and an inner surrounding surface 412 that is opposite to the outer surrounding surface 411 and that defines a guiding space 410. The guiding space 410 has first and second open ends 418, 419 that are opposite to each other and that are adapted to be disposed respectively at the upstream section 911 of the intestine 91 and the opening 920 of the skin tissue 92. The second connecting member 42 is connected fixedly to the outer surrounding surface 411 and is detachably connected to the first connecting member 32 of the solid unit 3. The second fixing member 43 is connected fixedly to the outer surrounding surface 411 of the conduit 41, and is spaced apart from the second connecting member 42. The second portal member 44 has an external segment adapted to be disposed outside of the opening 920 and connected to the conduit 41. The anti-blocking structure 45 is formed on the inner surrounding surface 412 of the conduit 41, and extends towards the second open end 419 of the guiding space 410. Specifically, the anti-blocking structure 45 has a spiral portion 451 that extends spirally along the inner surrounding surface 412, and that protrudes from the inner surrounding surface 412 towards the second open end 419 of the guiding space 410. As such, during peristalsis of the intestine 91, the spiral portion 451 of the anti-blocking structure 45 is able to prevent a portion of the upstream section 911 of the intestine 91 that is upstream of the second open end 419 of the guiding space 410 (i.e., the portion of the upstream section 911 that is unreached by the conduit 41) from entering and blocking the guiding space 410 via the second open end 419.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the second fixing member 43 is a magnet, and is to be magnetically coupled with the first fixing member 33. In this embodiment, the first connecting member 32 has an end surface distal from the contacting face 311 of the blocking member 31. The second connecting member 42 has an end surface that is distal from the conduit 41, and that has a contour identical to that of the end surface of the first connecting member 32.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 4, when the present embodiment of the artificial stoma device is to be installed in the abdomen 9, the blocking member 31 of the solid unit 3 and the conduit 41 of the hollow unit 4 are first inserted into the downstream section 912 and the upstream section 911 of the intestine 91, respectively, via the opening 920 of the skin tissue 92 and the radial side opening 910 of the intestine 91. Afterward, the end surfaces of the first and second connecting members 32, 42 are connected detachably to each other via connecting mechanisms, such as clips or snaps.

[0028] At this point, since both of the first fixing member 33 and second fixing member 43 are magnets, the first fixing member 33 and the second fixing member 43 may cooperatively clip a portion 919 of the intestine 91 (see FIG. 5) therebetween, thereby positioning the solid unit 3 and the hollow unit 4 relative to the intestine 91.

[0029] With the external segments of the first and second portal members 34, 44 being secured to an outer surface of the skin tissue 92, the first portal member 34 and the blocking member 31 cooperatively clip the skin tissue 92 and the downstream section 912 of the intestine 91 therebetween, and the second portal member 44 and the conduit 41 cooperatively clip the skin tissue 92 and the upstream section 911 of the intestine 91 therebetween. Thus, the embodiment is securely installed in the abdomen 9.

[0030] After the installation of the embodiment is completed, the first and second open ends 418, 419 of the guiding space 410 of the conduit 41 are spatially communicated with the upstream section 911 of the intestinal 91 and the opening 920 of the skin tissue 92, respectively, such that an artificial stoma is formed with the opening 920 that is in spatial communication with the upstream section 911 of the intestine 91. Thus, the excrement transported through the upstream section 911 of the intestinal 91 may be discharged from the artificial stoma, and the downstream section 912 of the intestine 91 may recover.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 5, the outer unit 5 includes a cover member 51 adapted to cover removably the opening 920. In certain embodiments, the cover member 51 is a piece of gauze, or an object that is sterilized and that has a shielding effect. In addition to preventing direct exposure of the intestine 91 of the abdomen 9 to external environments, the cover member 51 also effectively reduces the probability of infection of the abdomen 9.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the outer unit 5 further includes a pouch 52 that defines a collecting space 520, and a linking member 53 that is connected fixedly to the pouch 52 and that is connected detachably to the first portal member 34 of the solid unit 3 and the second portal member 44 of the hollow unit 4. When the pouch 52 is connected to the solid unit 3 and the hollow unit 4 by the linking member 53, the excrement discharged from the opening 920 of the skin tissue 92 is directly collected in the collecting space 520. When a patient himself/herself, a medical staff member, or a care worker intends to clean the embodiment of the artificial stoma device, the pouch 52 may be replaced simply by detaching the linking member 53 from the first portal member 34 and the second portal member 44.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 8, a second embodiment of the artificial stoma device according to the disclosure is similar to the first embodiment, and the difference between the two resides in the configuration of the anti-blocking structure 45 of the hollow unit 4.

[0034] In the second embodiment, the anti-blocking structure 45 has a plurality of protruding portions 452 that are spaced apart from each other, and that protrude from the inner surrounding surface 412 towards the second open end 419 of the guiding space 410. As such, the protruding portions 452 serves as a variation of the spiral portion 451 shown in FIG. 5, and provides the same functionality of preventing the portion of the upstream section 911 of the intestine 91 upstream of the second open end 419 of the guiding space 410 from entering and blocking the guiding space 410 via the second open end 419.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a third embodiment of the artificial stoma device according to the disclosure is similar to the first embodiment, and the difference between the two resides in that, in the third embodiment, the artificial stoma device further includes a filling member 6.

[0036] The filling member 6 is adapted to be fittingly received in a gap 80 defined between the external segment of the first portal member 34 and the skin tissue 92 and a gap 80 defined between the external segment of the second portal member 44 and the skin tissue 92. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the filling member 6 is ring-shaped and is made of an elastic material. When the gaps 80 happen to be formed between the skin tissue 92 and the first and second portal members 34, 44, the filling member 6 is adopted to fill the gaps 80 so as to position the first and second portal members 34, 44 with respect to the skin tissue 92.

[0037] Moreover, in a variation of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the filling member 6 is of a silicone material that is configured to fill the gap 80 before curing, which is suitable for the skin tissue 92 of varying thickness, thereby providing a more flexible option for positioning the first and second portal members 34, 44 with respect to the skin tissue 92.

[0038] In summary, the artificial stoma device according to the present disclosure has advantages as follows.

[0039] By virtue of the configurations of the solid and hollow units 3, 4, excretion transported by the intestine 91 can be temporary prevented from entering the downstream section 912. This allows the downstream section 912 of the intestine 91 to rest and recover without the need to sever the intestine 91 or suture the intestine 91 to an inner wall of the abdomen 9 of the patient as does the prior art.

[0040] In addition, the anti-blocking structure 45 of the hollow unit 4 is able to prevent the upstream section 911 of the intestine 91 from entering and blocking the guiding space 410 of the hollow unit 4 during the peristaltic movement of the intestine 91, and ensures smooth transportation and discharge of the excretion.

[0041] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details.

[0042] It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

[0043] While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.