Design, Manufacture, and Evaluation of New Retractable Ostomy Tube in Colorectal Cancers (Animal Model Innovation Report)

Despite advances in medical and surgical therapies, ostomy surgery is still one of the main treatment procedures for many colorectal cancer patients. This study aims to design and fabricate a new colostomy bag that reduces the complications of this procedure and improves the quality of life for these patients, and at the same time maintains a low-profile. Method & Materials: The current study is an experimental interventional study on an animal model. The designed system consists of two tubes that can move inside each other, which are placed inside the intestine. The system measures the amount of waste material by measuring the pressure applied to the cap of the tubes. The device was tested on five Dutch rabbits to assess its efficiency. After insertion of the tube in the animals, pressure measurement and timely creation of acoustic alarms by the device were evaluated as the criteria for this assessment.

Pressure evaluation shows that after a pressure increase of more than 10 mmHg, the sound system of the device is switched on and the colon is ready for discharge. The discharge was done between 0-2 times per day within three days. On the first day, there was some difficulty in drainage and in some cases drainage was not done via the tube. The average discharge pressure values measured within three consecutive days for animals are 11.07 + 0.17 mmHg, 11.11 + 0.33 mmHg, and 12.042 + 0.25 mmHg for the first, second, and third day, respectively.

The results of the animal model in the study indicate that designing this device can provide proper drainage and, therefore, by developing this study we can provide a solution to create a suitable ostomy bag that can solve many of the problems associated with the current tube designs and provide comfort to the patients.