About

The fit for an individual’s ostomy pouch is different from others. An ostomy pouch is a bag made of heavy-duty plastic. It has a large opening that allows the stoma to open into its interior. That way, the stomal output is collected in the ostomy pouch. The individual can change or empty the ostomy pouch when needed.

The kind of ostomy pouch suitable for you will depend significantly on your ostomy type. You can also opt for a particular type of ostomy bag, depending on your preferences and daily activities. Some people find it helpful to use different types of ostomy bags to meet their changing requirements.

Here are the types of ostomy bags that you can consider using during your ostomy care regimen.

One-piece ostomy bag

This ostomy pouch comes with a skin barrier and the bag as integrated elements. To apply this bag, you have to peel off the paper backing from the flange elements and place it over your stoma. These pouches also come with cut-to-fit skin barriers, which allow you to create an opening according to the shape and size of your stoma.

Some benefits of one-piece ostomy bags are the following.

• Easy to apply and remove
• Flexible choice for individuals with hernia or bulge in the peristomal skin
• More plane profile
• More lightweight

Two-piece ostomy pouch

A two-piece ostomy pouch comes with a skin barrier and the pouch as two separable elements. Here are the benefits of using a two-piece ostomy pouch.

• You can let the skin barrier adhered to the peristomal skin while removing the ostomy pouch.
• You can change different types of ostomy pouches without changing the flange.
• With fewer skin barriers replaced, the skin integrity tends to remain intact.
• Some people may find these ostomy pouches easy to use.

Drainable ostomy pouches

A drainable ostomy pouch is available in both one-piece and two-piece ostomy pouching systems. The purpose of these bags is to allow an individual to drain stomal output out without taking the pouch off. These bags are best suited for people with ileostomies or ones whose stool is liquid to semi-formed. People with colostomies use closed-end pouches, though.

Here are the benefits of using a drainable pouch.

• It works best when you pass out of liquid or semi-formed stools.
• You do not have to change the ostomy bag more frequently.
• These bags are very easy to empty.

Closed-end pouches

Closed-end pouches, like drainable ones, come in one-piece and two-piece variants. These ostomy pouches are not reusable, meaning that you have to throw them away once they are filled with the stomal output.

Here are the benefits of closed-end pouches.

• You do not have to empty an ostomy pouch several times. Yes, it’s a benefit for several people.
• It is best to manage fully-formed stools.
• You can use flushable liners with these pouches.

What ostomy pouch you should choose will depend on your needs and preferences. The best approach is to speak to your ostomy care nurse or healthcare provider to get a recommendation for the best ostomy pouching system.