Faecal Management

Faecal Oozing

Challenges in Caring for the Critically Ill Patient:

Up to 37% of patients who are hospitalised in Intensive Care Units experience faecal incontinence during their hospital stay.¹ Caring for critically ill and therefore very vulnerable patients that suffer from faecal oozing, is a challenging and often complicated task, that demands a lot of time and resources.

When a patient has faecal oozing there is a risk of developing several different complications. Among others these risks are perianal skin break-down, pressure sores, pain, sting, discomfort, infection, and in the worst case, sepsis.

The sedated, sleeping patient is dependent on the nurse’s awareness of these potential risks, because he is not able to tell of his symptoms. In this case, the nurse must be able to assess the patient’s needs, and how she can help him and guard his dignity and integrity.

Apart from the physical discomfort the patient may experience due to faecal oozing, the patient that is awake may also feel a negative impact on his self-image and emotions.

Healthcare providers and visitors can also be frustrated by seeing how the patient is harassed by discomfort, odour and the stigma that is associated with lack of control of the anal muscles.
Caring for patients with faecal oozing is a both time-consuming and expensive task for healthcare professionals and hospitals. Furthermore, complications caused by faecal oozing such as cross-contaminations can lead to significant costs for hospitals and health care systems.

In our Faecal Management System for handling faecal oozing, we have done our best to provide a product design that supports the healthcare professionals in their care for the patient and his well-being.