Are you a nurse caring for elderly frail patients that usually present with atonic sphincters?

Is your hospital struggling with inflatable balloon catheters falling out or leaking fecal material on to the bed linen? Nurses often tell us that a FlexiSeal or DigniShield catheter had leakage and when they tried to remove it, they recovered more than 100 cc of fluid during deflation. Most of the indwelling balloon catheters cannot be used on clostridium difficle (C-difficle) patient or acute patients on heparin, anti-coagulants or low platelet count in general.

Balloon catheters are high-pressure (50 – 80 mmHG) balloons that are prone to cause injuries (necrosis, mucosal tear, sphincter dysfunction, etc.) and are not indicated for highly acute patients in ICUs.

Companies tried to make these balloons safer by making them out of silicon or polyurethane, but this prevents nurses from being able to administer medications like vancomycin or even basic enema solution. Given the risk of over-inflation and high pressures, nurses typically hide balloon catheters in their unit or just end up using a rectal tube, rectal pouch, or a good old-fashioned chuck (absorbent pad).

Qora SMK is the first non-balloon indwelling stool/fecal management system that uses a self-expanding stent (lattice) that is deployed by an ergonomic applicator. This ensures that the QoraSMK device is deployed at the same location every time and the self-expanding stent prevents any inflation-related injury.

The self-expanding lattice is pliable in nature, so Qora stent mimics the anatomy during GI motility and expands and closes with the rectum.

Qora SMK exhibits around 20 mmHG radial pressure which is significantly lower than balloon catheters (50-80 mmHG), lower the urge to defecate sensation pressure (about 27 mmHG) and lower than the capillary compression pressure at about 35 mmHG. The lower pressure ensures the patient’s safety and comfort.

Qora’s self-expanding stent rests on the wall of the rectum (instead of anchoring on anorectal junction) hence providing full natural lumen of the rectum for fecal diversion. Qora SMK has the broadest possible indication and can be used on patients with tonic or atonic sphincter, as well as patients with varied stool consistencies like liquid stool, semi-liquid stool or even semi-formed stool – Bristol 5, 6, & 7.

Qora SMK has a stool sampling port and fastest fluid delivery port that can be used to deliver fluids of any viscosity. Qora is the only closed-loop faecal/bowel management system that is 100% malodor-containing, a feature that almost all our nurses and family members love.

Qora SMK is the only product in this category – be it rectal trumpets, tubes, balloon catheters, or pouch, that has performed a pre and post-use colonoscopy examination as part of our clinical trials. The stent is MRI-compatible and can be used on acute care patients, transplant patients, burns patients, and chronically ill patients in long-term care or hospice care.

If you have more questions, we can connect you with our Clinical Education or Technical Team to answer them in real-time. Nurses/Hospitals can also request free Qora SMK stool management products for clinical evaluation in your units by writing to us.