How a Disposable Incontinence Product Works – New Video
In the past we’ve often been asked how Disposable Incontinence products work. As a result we’ve put together a short video which talks about how disposable incontinence products work and their key features. The Video can be viewed on the “About Incontinence” page on our website and is also featured below.
Japan firms showcase personal toilet-bidet devices
A number of companies taking part in this year’s International Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition in Tokyo have been demonstrating automatic toilet-cum-washlets, aimed at Japan’s burgeoning elderly care market. Salespeople demonstrated how a U-shaped cup fits between the wearer’s legs and contains a sensor that activates a suction mechanism when triggered. Waste is moved rapidly away from the body before a bidet spray-cleans and then blow-dries the area. The cup is connected to a duct which moves the waste into a tank. “This machine is intended to ease the burden for caregivers, especially at night, and it also helps those in bed stay clean,” said Daizo Igawa, manager of Muscle Corp, as he demonstrated the firm’s “Robohelper” automatic toilet.
New research suggest surgical operations to correct urinary incontinence in women are socially viable
Urinary incontinence in women affects 15% of women of adult age, but only one in four requests health assistance and when the disorder is serious. In his PhD thesis, Manuel Montesino Semper, Head of the urology section of the Virgen del Camino Hospital in Pamplona, analysed the financial cost which would be required for surgical operations to be carried out under the local public health service in order to combat the problem. “When costs include the enhancement in the quality of life of the patients” he explained, “one comes to the conclusion that, from a perspective of the economics of health standards, such operations are cost-effective or, stated in another way, they are socially profitable, given that, with relatively low costs, benefits in the quality of life for the patients are obtained”.
Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine. In the case of adult women it means an important deterioration in their quality of life and a challenge for the urologist and gynaecologist who have to attend to them. According to doctor Montesino, “this problem, at times hidden and even taboo, gives rise to important financial costs for the health services and for the patients themselves, besides the intangible costs involved in the personal insecurity and anxiety that can arise”.
The research undertaken by Doctor Montesino Semper showed that surgical operations for urinary incontinence are effective and provide a clear enhancement in the quality of life of the women affected. “In patients who have been operated on, improvements are manifest in aspects involving anxiety and depression, with mobility and undertaking everyday activities, family activities or free time ones, as well as household chores”, pointed out the author of the research.
Apart from the financial cost this type of surgical operation involves, this thesis also evaluated the enhancement in the quality of life of the women undergoing surgery and, finally, the two parameters were linked. “The conclusion is, from the perspective of the economics of health standards, such operations are cost-effective or, stated in another way, they are “socially profitable”, given that, with relatively low costs, benefits in the quality of life for the patients are obtained”.
The costs computed for this PhD thesis included the health care from the first medical check-up carried out after one year after the operation, the sum coming to 1,250 euros per patient. Most operations are outpatient ones, without any need for patients to spend the night in hospital. Moreover, the operation is relatively simple, being carried out with local anaesthetic.
The research analysed the results from 69 patients through a questionnaire, one specific to urinary incontinence and the other about general health, both internationally recognised and validated.
Factors such as being younger and the type of urinary incontinence (associated only with physical effort, without urgency) are associated with better results in surgical operation, while overweight and obesity are associated with poorer results.
Study shows that Faecal incontinence remains a problem after surgery
Faecal incontinence improves after surgery for rectal prolapse, but recent research shows that the degree of improvement is quite low. After a mean follow-up period of 36 months, 68% of surgically treated patients had a reduction in the continence score. In spite of this, nearly 60% of patients remained incontinent, with 55% reporting urgent incontinence and 32% reporting passive leakage.
“Despite an improvement in quality of life and symptoms, Faecal incontinence remains a frequent and troublesome complaint after surgery for rectal prolapse,” say researcher Laurent Siproudhis (Universitaire de Pontchaillou, Rennes, France) and colleagues.
The study, published in Colorectal Disease, included 85 patients undergoing laparoscopic rectoplexy to treat full-thickness rectal prolapse between 2003 and 2009.
Prior to referral for surgery, the patients had symptoms for nearly 4 years and 10 individuals had prior surgery for rectal prolapse. Faecal incontinence was the main symptom prior to surgery, reported in 46% of patients, but 88% of individuals had some degree of incontinence before the laparoscopic procedure.
Three years after surgery, 58 patients, or 68%, had an improvement in Faecal incontinence, with the mean incontinence score declining from 10.4 before surgery to 7.0 after surgery, a statistically significant difference.
However, 58.9% of patients remained incontinent. Incontinence for liquid stool, for solid stool, and the need for protection was observed in 51%, 41%, and 51% of patients, respectively.
“Despite a significant surgical effect on continence at least one half of the study group still required pads and/or suffered from Faecal incontinence,” report the researchers.
Older patients, individuals with symptoms for a longer duration, individuals with a higher preoperative urinary incontinence score, and those with a higher Faecal incontinence score were more likely to suffer with postoperative incontinence.
Pelvic Floor exercises effective at treating incontinence
If you are suffering with urinary incontinence, you need to look at pelvic floor exercises and bladder training. You may have read previous articles about these exercises but if you had not taken previous research findings seriously, a July 2012 review by the American based Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) should give you more reason to start pelvic floor (otherwise know kegel) exercises.
According to the review, about 25% of young women and 44% to 57% of middle-aged and postmenopausal women experience involuntary urine loss. Their findings show that age, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, hysterectomy, and obesity put women at a higher risk of suffering from urinary incontinence.
Fortunately, there are several forms of treatment for women suffering from urinary incontinence. An independent team of investigators analysed 889 studies and prepared a comparative effectiveness review. The AHRQ review compared different treatments for urinary incontinence that included doing pelvic floor muscle (Kegel) exercises, bladder training; using medical devices, weight loss, medications and electrical stimulation, among others.
They found that “pelvic floor muscle training, combined with bladder training is effective for treating women with urinary incontinence without the risk of side effects. The drugs for urgency incontinence showed similar effectiveness. However, with some drugs, more women discontinued treatment due to bothersome side effects.”
New guidelines to help family doctors identify and treat incontinence
Millions of women experience a loss of bladder control, or urinary incontinence, in their lifetime. It’s a common and often embarrassing problem that many patients don’t bring up with their doctors – and when they do, it may be mentioned as a casual side note during a visit for more pressing medical issues. New guidelines from doctors at the University of Michigan Health System offer family doctors a step-by-step guide for the evaluation of urinary leakage, to prevent this quality-of-life issue from being ignored.
“I think a lot of physicians don’t realize that this problem can be successfully treated without surgery or other major interventions and there are some pretty simple things they can do in the office to make a big difference for a lot of women,” says lead author Abigail Lowther, M.D., clinical lecturer in the Department of Family Medicine. “We hope to give primary care providers a framework for how to evaluate and treat different many forms of incontinence without the need for referral to a specialist.”
The article was published in the Journal of Family Practice this month (Reference: “Managing incontinence: A 2-visit approach,” Journal of Family Practice, September 2012, Vol. 61, No.9.)
Studies have found that 10 to 40 percent of women older than 18 years old – and as many as 53 percent of those over 50 – are affected by urinary incontinence. Among the long list of culprits are childbirth, aging and obesity. Despite the prevalence of female incontinence, however, busy family doctors may not hear about the problem until well into a visit focused on separate health issues – and some doctors may not feel like they can help.
But the paper suggests three simple, immediate steps a doctor can take to address the problem while keeping the appointment on track: Collecting a urine sample, asking the patient to keep a diary that charts fluid intake and urination and scheduling a follow-up visit. By the second visit, the physician will have more information for further evaluation and a management plan. High-yield questions will also classify the type of incontinence being experienced. Questions may include asking how worried patients are that coughing will lead to a leak, how quickly patients need to find a bathroom when their bladder is full and whether washing hands – or the sound of running water – leads to leakage.
Urinary incontinence of all types can be a great disruption to daily activities, ranging from occasionally leaking urine after a cough or sneeze to having an urge so sudden that patients may not make it to the bathroom in time. For some, bladder leakage may be a symptom of another underlying medical condition.
Lowther says some women don’t broach the subject with doctors because they think loss of bladder control is a normal part of aging. But left untreated, it may get worse with time and lead to more restrictions, she says.
“We want to emphasize to women that this is not something they have to live with, that they should tell their primary care physicians about their symptoms,” Lowther says. “We also want to remind physicians that simple interventions can go a long way towards improving this problem for patients.”
NEW Kanga Waterproof Incontinence Pants
Kanga Waterproof Incontinence Pants
We’ve just added the NEW Kanga Waterproof Incontinence Pants to our range.
Unlike other Waterproof plastic pants, these protective plastic incontinence pants are made from a very thin, lightweight polymer material for extra comfort and discretion.
The elasticated waist and legs give maximum security and the thin elastic again makes them more comfortable while still giving a snug against the skin.
They are designed to be worn over disposable pads/pants or washable incontinence pants to give extra security and are ideal for night time usage.
They are available in Small, Medium, Large, X Large, and XX Large sizes. A single pack is £7.80 (plus VAT if applicable), and multi buy prices apply with prices as low as £6.09.
Kylie Incontinence Washable Bed Pads now in stock!
Kylies are back! Kylie Bed pads are so popular that the term is often used a generic term for washable incontinence bed pads in the same way that the brand name “Sellotape” has become a generic term for adhesive tape. However Kylie is the brand name for one of the market leaders for washable incontinence products. Although these were briefly unavailable at the start of the year these items are now available again and Allanda are pleased to be able to offer these high performing products to our customers.
The Kylie bed pad consists of three key sections. Firstly a quilted polyester “stay dry” layer which draws liquid into the absorbent layer which prevents it seeping back out, then the absorbent fluff layer. Unlike disposable bed pads, Kylie washable bed pads don’t contain absorbent crystals as these would prevent the product being washable, instead they rely on a layer of fabric fluff to absorb (and they can be very absorbent holding 2 to 3 litres typically). Finally you have a plastic base layer which both prevents liquid seeping through to the bedding below and also to prevent the pad slipping on the bed so that it stays in the best place on the bed.
Kylie Bed washable bed pads are an essential item when managing night time incontinence as they provide protection against leaks from bodyworn products, thus protecting expensive bedding (e.g. sheet, and mattresses) and we always recommend their use. However, ideally they should also be used in conjunction with a mattress protector to give a “belt and braces” back up which can be helpful if the person sleeping moves significantly during the night.
Allanda offer both single and double bed Kylie incontinence bed pads at our www.allaboutincontinence.co.uk website. It is generally recommended that these products are purchased in threes on the basis that at any time this gives one product on the bed, one in the wash, and one spare for when needed.
New video about Incontinence types and causes
We’ve just added a new video to our “About Incontinence” website page. The video talks through incontinence and bladder issues and talks about the common types and what causes them including Stress Incontinence, Urge Incontinence, Overflow (or Drip), Mixed Incontinence, Reflex Incontinence and Faecal Incontinence.
The video can also be seen below.
NICE publishes guidance on urinary incontinence in neurological disease
The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published Clinical Guideline 148 on urinary incontinence in neurological disease: management of lower urinary tract dysfunction in neurological disease.
NICE clinical guidelines set standards for healthcare for people with specific conditions or diseases and the treatments they should receive. A version of the guideline for patients and carers can be downloaded from the NICE web site.
The guideline recommends that detailed assessments should be offered to people who have neurological conditions, including stroke, MS and head and spinal cord injuries, who are experiencing incontinence or other urinary problems. The aim of the guideline is to minimise the distressing effect that bladder symptoms can have on people with neurological conditions, and their families, and to promote active participation in their care.
Healthcare professionals are advised to assess other health issues including bowel and sexual problems, the use of medications and therapies, as well as other factors such as mobility, hand function, cognitive function, social support and lifestyle which may affect how incontinence or other urinary problems can be managed. The guideline recommends that patients are reassessed at least every three years, with more frequent reassessments for some patients depending on their individual circumstances.