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A 2016 study reported that 92% of all ostomates are concerned about their ostomy bag leaking and that this percentage is increased for individuals with sunken or protruded skin surrounding their stoma.

 

To truly comprehend the significance of this statistic, it is important to understand what an ostomy is… For individuals with severe conditions that affect their lower digestive tract, it is likely that a surgical connection will be formed between their abdominal wall and intestines that will allow for stool to be collected in a bag outside of their body. The area from which the bodily contents are excreted is referred to as a stoma or an ostomy and an individual with one is called an ostomate. The ostomy appliance that is used to collect the waste output consists of 2 main components: the skin barrier, which is a square based adhesive with a hole in it that is applied to the skin surrounding the ostomy to keep the appliance attached to the body and the bag, which is attached to the non-adhesive side of the skin barrier and collects the output in a controlled manner.

 

More often than not, leakage originates from the junction of the skin barrier and the skin surrounding the stoma. When the appliance leaks, the adhesive that secures the pouch to the skin is weakened and an ostomate is required to quickly change their bag to avoid further mess and severe damage to the skin that would arise from the skin’s exposure to digestive output. The adhesive seal of traditional ostomy bags is not protected from the corrosive effects of stoma outputs and thus makes leaks an unpredictable, frequent and embarrassing incident for ostomates.

 

My name is Sophie Dyment and my team and I have designed the optimal solution to ease the emotional and physical burdens that result from ostomy appliance leakage. Introducing the FLEXring: an economically-conscious, reusable silicon device that is an accessory to a one-piece ostomy appliance and serves the purpose of preventing stoma output from interacting with the skin and damaging the skin barrier adhesive.

 

At the top of the slide deck you can see a cross-sectional schematic of the FLEXring: the upper component, which is also shown in pink in the image, is adhered to the skin with compression bandages that depress the skin around the stoma and protrude the stoma further into the bag; and the lower portion, which is not explicitly visible in this image sits inside the ostomy bag and is adhered to the interior of the skin barrier, think of the skin barrier as a piece of double-sided tape in this scenario, connecting the skin and the ring.

 

These two characteristics work in tandem to channel stoma output into the bag and prevent its backflow. This reduces the tendency of the stoma output to interact with and compromise the skin barrier, ultimately increasing the potential wear-time of the ostomy appliance.

 

This device not only helps relieve an ostomate’s anxiety about leakage but also saves them money in the long term by allowing them to use fewer bags within a given time period.