Leakage at Pouch-Flange Connection - Seeking Advice

Hi all,

I have been using Hollister CeraPlus Tape Free Flange and the pouch that goes with it for at least 7 years... It is great for me as my skin does not do well with tape collars.

Over the past few months, I have started to get leakage where the pouch snaps onto the flange; I can actually see it seeping out between the connection (only on the southern end of the connection - I guess due to gravity?)... while not a major leak, it is extremely frustrating. I have been able to work around it by putting some

Stomahesive to make a "seal" around the bottom of the area where the pouch is snapped to the flange, but I was hoping to get some thoughts on this from others as to why this could be happening and/or what other remedies might be possible.

I will be calling Hollister to see what they advise. I do hate to try other products since this one generally works so well for me!

Any thoughts appreciated!!

Hi Shash.  Calling Hollister would be my suggestion.  Just for a second opinion you might want to call Convatec.  Not that you would change but it couldn't hurt to hear their comments.  Let us know how you do.

Respectfully,

Mike

Our bodies and skin change with time. I started with Hollister, then Convatec, now Coloplast!
Hollister worked when I had a flat stomach. Then, after having two kids close together and developing a hernia, I needed a bag that was more flexible. Convatec...(hernia was repaired 15 years ago). Now Coloplast because it has the attached clip and a wide barrier. 30 years with a colostomy.

Hi Shash,

Funny thing you should mention this topic. I've been using Hollister since I got my shitbag, back in 2014 and never had the problem you describe. Until a few months ago. The first time it happened I wrote it off to me re-using a bag and figured maybe the connection stretched over time, so it wasn't sealing tightly. But then it happened a couple weeks later with a new bag and again the following week. I took those apart and examined the sets of barrier/bags and there is nothing obviously wrong. I now make sure when I put a new bag on that it fully seats all the way around....and then press it all around the circumference again, just for good measure. Sometimes even when I think it's fully seated I can feel (more than hear) the clasping system fully engage in certain areas. Then I take a mirror and look at the bottom of the connection very closely. Any gap between the bag flange and the barrier flange means it's not fully seated in that area. So not sure if it was a bad batch of barrier/bags that might have been just slightly out of spec or what.......but I haven't seen it happen again now that I'm super anal about making sure the bag fully clicks onto the barrier. If you keep having the problem please let us know.

Thanks,

Bob

I use Hollister bags and wafers. I have never had that problem, it could just be a bad batch you got. I would call Hollister and let them know. They may replace them. Stay safe.

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hi again,

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely let you all know what Hollister has to say. I actually spoke to Hollister when I first started to notice leakage, but at that time I thought the leak was seeping from the pouch itself, not from where the two connected. Hollister did send me out replacement product (thinking there might be a defect in the pouches, although no problem could be detected), and for a while things were pretty good. Now I finally realize where the leak is coming from! I have started to really press and press again to be sure all is connected. The contour of my stomach has not changed at all, so I don't think that is the problem. I spoke to ConvaTec 10 days or so ago, and they did send me some samples (I actually used to use their products for a short while), but I absolutely do not like what they sent me because I do tape-free. Their barrier/flange feels like a thick slab of I don't know what, and it really is not comfortable.

Bye again....great group!

Best,

Shash

Hi all, my final check of my 2pc. Convatec system is to feel with my fingernail the gap between the pouch and flange. If there's any gap, I press again in that area. That gives me peace of mind that I got it fully sealed.

Hmmm..........that won't work for me........my fingernails get all tore up working in the yard. But good suggestion for those with nails. Seems the Hollster seal design is a two-lip seal, so just hearing a slight click could only mean one lip has seated, not both. It's a great system once installed correctly....you just have to pay close attention to make sure it is.

Regards,

Bob

I used to use the mirror trick back when I wore a bag. It should tell you if everything is fully locked in. I'm wondering if just a tiny drop of silicone spray on a q-tip run around the male side of the connection would let it snap together easier? It would have to be just the tiniest amount. I wonder if they make a food-grade silicone? If I still wore a bag, I would try it at home and see how it works.... Don't ask me how I learned to try stuff at home before I went out in public with it! 

You might try a convex wafer to determine whether a change of skin dimensions might be at fault.

So on this subject... I cut apart my barrier after I removed it to get a good look at the cross section of the sealing system with the bag. It's a double lip, but not the way I was thinking... meaning it's not two separate lips on the OD/ID of the bag/barrier... it's an arrow-shaped lip that clips into a similar-shaped trench. Pretty ingenious, but now I can see how it cannot be fully attached, yet feel like it is. I'll see if I can post a pic later, but think of a dog collar with those plastic clip latches, only narrower and actually in the shape of an arrowhead.

Regards,

Bob