Drainable vs. Closed Ostomy Pouches: Which Is Best for You?

When it comes time to decide which type of ostomy pouch you want to use for yourself, there are two main choices: drainable and closed-end. While they have some similarities, their differences are what we want to focus on today. That way, you can decide if a drainable or closed-end ostomy bag is the right choice for you.

Drainable Pouches

As the name suggests, these ostomy bags are made to be drained and reused. They have a tail at the bottom that opens for you to drain the contents into a toilet without much struggle. Generally, urine and bowel movements that aren’t fully formed are easier to remove from these bags, but you can remove all waste from drainable pouches. When you’ve finished, the tail seals back up using a clamp, Velcro, or another type of fastener.

Since you can empty drainable pouches on your own, you can reuse them for multiple days. Just be sure to drain them once they’re about half full to make the emptying process easier. Eventually, you’ll have to replace them for sanitary or integrity reasons, but they are easy to clean, which will help them last longer.

Closed-End Pouches

Regardless of how efficient you are at emptying out the drainable bags, closed ostomy pouches are much easier to deal with. You won’t have to waste time cleaning the bag completely. All you have to do is remove it, throw it away, and put on a new one.

The notable downside here is that you will go through ostomy pouches much more quickly. Even though you can wait until these bags fill up completely, you’ll still go through about one to three a day, which is significantly more than drainable ones.

Which One To Choose

In the end, determining if a drainable or closed-end ostomy pouch is the best choice for you is entirely up to your own preferences, but we’ll cover some reasons why you should choose one over the other. Drainable bags are a preferred choice by those with urostomies or ileostomies because they work best with liquid or soft contents. Closed-end bags will be better for colostomies since you won’t have to replace pouches as often due to fully-formed bowel movements.

We also stated that the closed-end variety is easier to deal with; this is typically only the case at home. If you’re on the go a lot, you’ll need to carry a few extra bags with you. Plus, you’ll need to dispose of used ones in a public trash can, which can be unpleasant. Drainable ostomies are better for those who still live active lifestyles, making them a popular choice. Hopefully, this info will help you come to a better decision as to which type of pouch is better for you.