Support film
An ultra-thin highly conformable arc-shaped support film for a flange extender for an ostomy bag comprises a polyurethane film having an adhesive applied to at least one of a body facing surface and an ostomy bag facing surface, wherein the film has a thickness of about 5 pm to about 100 μm and exhibits a high moisture vapor transmission rate even compared to thin films used for film dressings.
1. A flange extender configured for use with a flange of, or with, an ostomy bag, the flange extender comprising:
a support film; and
an adhesive applied to at least one surface of the support film;
wherein the support film comprises a film selected from a polyurethane (PU) film, a polyvinylchloride film, a polyester film, and a vinyl film;
wherein the adhesive has a thickness of 0.2 μm to 2 μm;
wherein the at least one surface comprises at least one of a body facing surface, and an ostomy bag facing surface, of the support film; and
wherein the support film has a thickness of about 5 μm to about 200 μm.
2. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the flange extender has a shape that is annular or defines an arc.
3. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the support film is polyurethane (PU) film.
4. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the support film has a thickness of about 5 μm to about 100 μm.
5. A flange extender according to claim 4 , wherein the support film has a thickness of about 5 μm to about 50 μm.
6. A flange extender according to claim 5 , wherein the support film has a thickness of about 5 μm to about 10 μm.
7. A flange extender according to claim 6 , wherein the support film has a thickness of about 7 μm.
8. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the moisture vapour transmission rate (MVTR) value of the support film is in the range of about 500 g/m2/24 h to about 5000 g/m2/24 h.
9. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the support film is transparent or translucent.
10. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein adhesive is provided on the body facing surface of the support film.
11. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive is acrylic-based, silicone-based, or PU-based.
12. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive has a thickness of about 0.8 μm to about 1.2 μm.
13. A flange extender according to claim 12 , wherein the adhesive has a thickness of about 1 μm.
14. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the flange extender further comprises at least one release liner which:
covers an outer surface of the adhesive; and is configured to be removable from the support film or flange extender.
15. A flange extender according to claim 14 , wherein the flange extender further comprises at least one tab configured for removal of the release liner.
16. A flange extender according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one tab is located between the adhesive and the release liner and extends at least about 5 mm outwardly from an outer edge of the adhesive, the support film, and/or the release liner.
17. A flange extender according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one tab comprises at least two tabs.
18. A flange extender according to claim 17 , wherein the support film has a shape that defines an arc and a tab of the at least two tabs is provided at each opposing end of the arc.
19. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the support film is configured to be made integral with, or connected to: the flange of the ostomy bag; and/or the ostomy bag.
20. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the support film is configured to: be attached to the flange of the ostomy bag; and to extend outwardly from the flange to provide an extension to the flange.
21. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the flange extender is configured to be provided separately from the ostomy bag.
22. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the width of the flange extender is about 20 mm to about 50 mm.
23. A flange extender according to claim 1 , wherein the flange extender is configured to be sealed in a sachet prior to use.
24. A method for production of a flange extender configured for use with a flange of, or with, an ostomy bag, the flange extender comprising a support film, an adhesive, and a release liner; wherein the method comprises:
providing the support film comprising a film selected from a polyurethane film, a polyvinylchloride film, a polyester film, and a vinyl film, wherein the support film has a thickness of about 5 μm to about 200 μm;
providing the adhesive;
cutting the support film to a size configured for use with the flange of, or with, the ostomy bag;
applying the adhesive to at least one of: a body facing surface; or an ostomy bag facing surface; of the support film; wherein the adhesive as applied to the support film has a thickness of 0.2 μm to 2 μm; and
applying a release liner to an outer surface of the adhesive.