Uses for a Moldable Ostomy Skin Barrier* Beyond the Budded Stoma

USES FOR A MOLDABLE OSTOMY SKIN BARRIER^* BEYOND THE BUDDED STOMA

Emily Lowry BSN, CWOCN Henry Ford Hospital:  Clinton Township, Michigan
^{Objective: An “ideal” stoma is usually defined as one that is “rounded” and “budded”, with no peristomal skin breakdown.  Anatomical compromise, co-morbid conditions and surgical process often lead to a less than ideal stoma. Management of various flush or retracted stomas, such as when the stoma is retracted below skin level and in the middle of a large draining incision, can be challenging. This poster will demonstrate effective management of three clinical situations using a moldable ostomy skin barrier and pouch.
Background:  Many WOC nurses perceive the use of moldable ostomy skin barriers only for budded ostomy stomas. Over the last two years, we have successfully been using moldable ostomy skin barriers with several different pouching situations commonly seen by the WOC nurse including flush or retracted stomas and select stoma surgical complications.  Prior to using moldable skin barriers, cut-to-fit wafers and pouches were commonly used to manage many pouching needs.
Results:  Using the moldable skin barrier in these various situations not only resulted in adequate wear time with good skin protection, but its simplified use among staff proved to be an added benefit that cut-to-fit skin barriers lacked.  Staff nurses as well as the WOC nurse appreciated the time saved molding the wafer as opposed to making a pattern and cutting the barrier to fit the size of the pouching situation.
Conclusion:  Expanding the use of moldable skin barriers beyond budded stomas for challenging clinical situations resulted in improved efficiencies and patient outcomes.  In addition, such improvements provided the WOC nurses an opportunity to continue to justify the implementation of a new product technology.
*ConvaTec Moldable TechnologyΤΜ skin barriers
ConvaTec Moldable Technology is a trademark of ConvaTec Inc.}