Female, 48 years old

Patient history

Mrs A had emergency surgery in 2021 for Crohns disease resulting in her having an end ileostomy formed. Mrs A struggled to comes to terms with the surgery and dealing with the ileostomy, but over time she managed well and was settled onto a product with no problems.

Observations on referral - Image 1

The patient self-referred in September 2022 with sore, excoriated skin. She was visited at home the following week where fully circumferential peristomal contact dermatitis was seen. The skin was red, moist, and very itchy causing the patient distress and discomfort. The itching was particularly bad.

Complications or problems being experienced

Her bags were not sticking to the skin which in turn was resulting in them leaking making the situation worse. The patient had lost her confidence in the bags which affected her quality of life and ability to go out. She became upset and isolated.

Community visits

She was seen on eight separate occasions where two alternative manufacturers bags were tried over a period of three weeks with no change or improvement to the skin.

Treatment

The Oakmed Drainable Standard Alginate Soft Convex bag was applied with no accessory products, no barrier creams, wipes, or barrier films. Over a one-week period there was a dramatic improvement in the skin condition. The itching stopped immediately bringing instant relief and the skin began to heal.

Image 2 shows improvement part way through treatment.

Outcome

The outcome is that the patient’s peristomal skin has healed and the itching stopped. The Oakmed Alginate bag sticks well to her skin and has prevented any re-occurrence of the dermatitis. She has had no further leaks and is very happy about the result.

No accessories were used on the skin, just the Alginate wafer which is a cost-effective way to manage peristomal skin problems