BME.18 Pouch Wearing Simulation for Active Ostomates

• Angela Beatrice Lichauco
• Terrence Lin
• Stuti Patel
• Nick Rojas
• Tanvi Shingade

Ostomates are individuals who have undergone an ostomy procedure, which diverts human waste, such as urine or digestive waste, out of the body through a surgical opening called a stoma. Medical conditions, such as colon cancer or diverticular disease, can render part of the digestive or urinary system unusable, necessitating this procedure. The waste exits the stoma and collects in an ostomy pouch attached to the skin around the stoma for disposal. Although ostomy pouches are an excellent way to manage human waste, physically active ostomates are often concerned about the reliability of their ostomy pouches during exercise. Hollister Incorporated requires a reliable method of testing ostomy pouch products for stresses due to walking and running. To meet this need, this project focuses on developing a pouch-wearing simulation that induces motions representative of walking biomechanics. The team’s prototype utilizes a Hoecken’s linkage to replicate the inverted pendulum model, which represents the center of mass (COM) displacements, velocities, and acceleration kinematics of walking. The simulation was constructed using aluminum c-channels to form the linkage, aluminum extrusion bars for the base, and a high-torque motor for automation. Displacement and velocity data were extracted by capturing video of the simulation in action and using the pose estimation program Deep Lab Cut (DLC) to track the attachment point of the simulation. To analyze the data, a one-way ANOVA was used to test the simulation’s reliability, and a one-sample t-test was used to compare the collected data from DLC to walking kinematic data from literature. The simulation was shown to be consistent throughout the 24-minute testing duration across the four critical points of the gait cycle chosen. However, when compared to data from the literature, the simulation only matched two out of eight displacement data points and two out of eight velocity data points. Future iterations may require linkage and motor speed adjustments to become more accurate to human walking biomechanics. This project aims to create a novel testing method for ostomy pouches under walking and running motions so that Hollister researchers can better tailor ostomy pouches to the needs of physically active individuals.