Colostomy alert device and method
AssigneeOakington Corp.
InventorNyle S. Elliott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for alerting a colostomate or medical attendant to the presence of fecal matter. The device includes a hollow plug detachably securable to a flexible port positioned about the stoma. The port carries an alarm circuit which is triggered when fecal matter enters the plug lumen which will alert the colostomate to an impending episode. The signal may be vibratory, audible or visible and may be transmitted to a remote location. The device includes an inflatable air cuff which, when inflated, presents a physical barrier to the passage of fecal matter. Gas may pass through filters in the tube. The method involves positioning the device in the stoma, inflating the cuff and generating an alarm when matter is sensed.
Claims20
An alert device for detecting the presence of fecal matter comprising:
- a pad having an aperture and a first conductor and a second conductor;
- an alarm attached to said pad;
- the at least one first conductor extending from said aperture to said alarm;
- a plug having a hollow portion,
- a third and fourth conductor spaced apart on said hollow portion of said plug, said plug removably secured to said pad at said aperture, wherein when the fecal matter enters the hollow portion of the plug, the fecal matter comes into physical contact with the second and third conductor completing a circuit thereby activating the alarm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.