Suppose you have left the hospital with a one-piece pouch. What is it that makes you decide that you would stick to that one-piece? Or maybe you have decided to change it and go for the two-piece system! In that case, what's it that made you change your decision? To cut it short, this write-up deals with the advantages and disadvantages of a one-piece pouching system.

Why ostomates prefer to opt for the one-piece system?

Here are some features of the one-piece ostomy pouching system that makes it a favorite among some candidates who have undergone a urostomy, colostomy, or ileostomy...

• Lies low beneath the clothes and therefore, help maintain a lower profile (that allows the ostomate to remain more comfortable in public)

• It is less expensive than its two-piece counterpart

• Puts an advantage on your storage space, especially while traveling!

• Being a one-piece unit, lesser parts and units to be dealt with

• Good for people with hernias as its base plates are more flexible to match the body contours easily

Some choose the one-piece system simply because of familiarity. As they have come out of the hospital with that product and are familiar with it, they tend to go for it! Hospitals mostly stock on the one-piece system as they are cost-saving. Moreover, the duration of a patient’s hospital stay is short-lived, and the one-piece system suits the requirements perfectly.

Some issues you would face while using the one-piece system

If you are on the verge of deciding whether to stick to your one-piece pouching system, it is advisable that you thoroughly walk through both its pros and cons. Although most ostomates walk out of the hospital wearing a one-piece bag, yet, some prefer to change the system that he or she had been using so far! Why so?

The one-piece pouching system bears some disadvantages for which sometimes, users tend to turn their back on them!

• Firstly, if the pouch requires frequent changing (drainable pouch vs. Close-ended pouch), it might take its toll upon your skin! Since the whole system needs to be pulled out every time, it causes the skin to wear and tear.

• The pouch cannot be easily 'burped' to let the excess gas out

• The entire changing process is both time-consuming and cumbersome. You need to get the wafer fitted around your stoma perfectly, which becomes hugely difficult for people with a lack of dexterity!

• Using the one-piece system for a longer duration requires an excess quantity of all accessories like tapes, adhesives, adhesive removers, etc. Every time you change, you need a fresh set of all these!

Getting a perfect fit often becomes challenging. How many times would you aptly be able to fit a thing around your stoma (no matter how perfectly it is cut)? Plus, there are weird situations that could arise! I have encountered patients who had mistakenly cut the pouch while trying to cut the base plate to make a perfect fit around the stoma!

Which would you choose?

If factors like convenience, modernity, and flexibility are your priorities, a two-piece system could likely weigh out its one-piece counterpart! The former, most importantly, gives you the chance to remove your ‘drainable pouch’, clean it and re-use it. However, those who need to stay on ostomy pouches for not a very long period, opt for the one-piece pouching system – it being the lesser expensive one!