Oppanol® gives patients a save feeling

People who after severe surgery or because of illnesses need an artificial intestine opening called a stoma are often concerned about the considerable limitations this may impose on their daily lives. But the introduction of care products using Oppanol® as an adhesive can help stoma patients lead a virtually normal life. A leading international manufacturer in the field of stoma, incontinence and wound care is Coloplast, a Danish company and a BASF customer. The Polyisobutene (PIB) Oppanol helps improve the quality of life of stoma patients, because as an adhesive material it ensures that bags for receiving body waste can be securely fastened to the skin.

Coloplast’s roots date back 50 years, when a nurse named Elise Sørensen first helped her sister Thora address her fear about her stoma leaking in public. Elise’s answer was to invent the world’s first self-adhesive stoma bag, which eliminated leakage from the stoma. A manufacturer named Aage Louis-Hansen was the first to implement the idea – and Coloplast was born. Today the company has more than 7,000 employees in more than 30 countries, with production sites in China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Hungary and the United States. Since 1983, the company has been listed on the Copenhagen stock exchange. In recent years, Coloplast has recorded two-digit growth rates and its global annual sales in the 2005-2006 business year were equivalent to around 967 million euros.

PIBinside - Oppanol gives patients a save feeling
“A stoma appliance consists of a base plate that adheres to the abdominal wall and a bag attached to it to receive the waste,” explains John Bograd, Process Technology Manager at Coloplast. A stoma can be a one- and two-piece system. A one-piece system incorporates the adhesive surface and bag in a single unit. Two-piece systems consist of a separate base plate and stoma bags to fit. The bag is attached to the plate by a closing ring or adhesive system. The base plate can remain on the skin for several days. Only the bag is changed.
“For a number of years, our stoma care products have relied on the outstanding adhesive properties of Oppanol®,” Bograd says. “Absolutely reliable adhesion in all situations is necessary for stoma patients to lead lives with as little restriction as possible and enjoy maximum freedom of movement.


It is particularly important that care appliances adhere firmly to the skin without causing irritation during wear or pain on removal. “Skin irritations are the most common problem endured by patients who have to live with a stoma,” explains Bograd. Recent research indicates that almost half of stoma patients suffer from this complaint. The most frequent reason is poor adhesion of the base plate to the skin, so that the skin is constantly irritated by discharging body fluids. This cannot occur in systems attached by a PIB adhesive. “Oppanol® is ideal for this application, because it is highly flexible, extremely adhesive, and exceptionally skin-friendly,” confirms Dr. Erwin Czech, BASF Sales Manager for polyisobutene in Europe. The material does not change on contact with water or heat either, so that stoma patients can swim or visit a sauna with an easy mind.

Typical for PIB is that it easily mixes with other components. Its well defined viscosity assists in the control of processes such as extrusion, laminating, calendering etc. Coloplast utilizes these properties of PIB to manufacture adhesive elements with very high precision. Meanwhile Coloplast has developed and patented a number of process technologies enabling the company to manufacture unprecedented complex material combinations in which PIB is the cornerstone.

Bograd says that as an adhesive layer between the base plate and the human body, Oppanol® fills an extremely important function. “At the same time, we guarantee consistently outstanding quality, which is particularly vital for medical applications.”

Invisible contribution, visible success – BASF’s cooperation with Coloplast is a good illustration of how this works.