Colostomy Care

[bulldoggurlie]

Hi, I'm a nursing student and I work as a pca/extern and one thing I seem to have a little trouble with is emptying colostomy bags. How do you get everything out of th bag, how do you do everything wirthout making a huge mess?

Thanks

[bethin]

I get two graduates: one for water, one to empty the stool in (best to label them). I grab a bulb syringe and fill it with water. After getting all of the stool out that I can I flush the bag out with lukewarm water. Do that several times and you can get most of it out. It will never look like a new bag unless you actually change it. Also, I keep a wet washcloth and a dry washcloth handy. I use the wet one to get the bm off the end of the bad and the dry to dry everything off. I also lay a towel underneath the bag in case of any spillage.

[bulldoggurlie]

I get two graduates: one for water, one to empty the stool in (best to label them). I grab a bulb syringe and fill it with water. After getting all of the stool out that I can I flush the bag out with lukewarm water. Do that several times and you can get most of it out. It will never look like a new bag unless you actually change it. Also, I keep a wet washcloth and a dry washcloth handy. I use the wet one to get the bm off the end of the bad and the dry to dry everything off. I also lay a towel underneath the bag in case of any spillage.

Thank you so much. I'll have to try the syringe

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Use a Chux and towels for padding to protect the patient and linens to keep them dry. Use a bath basin or plastic graduate container that you will allow flush water to flow into. Use a 50cc piston syringe for flushing. Flush the inner contents on the colostomy bag after it has been emptied using warm water in the syringe until you have cleaned it out to your liking. My mom used to wrap 4x4's around tongue blades as well to clean around crevices and dry surfaces of the inner plastic bag.

[bulldoggurlie]

Use a Chux and towels for padding to protect the patient and linens to keep them dry. Use a bath basin or plastic graduate container that you will allow flush water to flow into. Use a 50cc piston syringe for flushing. Flush the inner contents on the colostomy bag after it has been emptied using warm water in the syringe until you have cleaned it out to your liking. My mom used to wrap 4x4's around tongue blades as well to clean around crevices and dry surfaces of the inner plastic bag.

thanks i like the 4x4 idea :)

[patwil73]

If you have the snap off kind you can simply unsnap the bag, dump in toilet, then rinse in a sink until clean. Although most that I have seen lately don't have the snap kind - otherwise go with the prior suggestions. The hardest part is usually getting the patient into a position that allows for good flow from colostomy bag into whatever container you have.

If patient is ambulatory they can often be taught to empty over a toilet and self-clean.

Pat

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

One of the problems I've found with patients and colostomy bags is that older patients are generally depending on Medicare to supply them. Medicare will only pay for 10 bags a month and the cheapest ones at that. So, these patients are doing what they can to make each bag last as long as possible.