Peristeen® Small meets the demands of patients, parents and nurses

Peristeen rectal catheter Small is the name of a new child-friendly catheter for the Peristeen Anal Irrigation system. The catheter, which has just been launched, will help children with bowel problems and their parents, as well as nurses.

Until now, children have had to use the same size catheter as adults when irrigating.

Small rectal catheter

The Small catheter (right) is easier for children to use compared to the standard size.

» Learn more about Small

"What convinced me that we needed a new system was when one of my patients, a 10-year-old girl, asked for another system herself," says Edith Ekkerman, head nurse at the VU university medical center (VUmc) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

"She really wanted to gain independence from her mother, who had to help her irrigate. With the new Peristeen catheter, the girl can irrigate alone thanks to a balloon that holds the catheter in place - she'll be independent, which is important for her and her mother."

Small and simple

The product is a smaller version of the existing Peristeen catheter. "This smaller size of the Peristeen rectal catheter has been requested for years and we're really happy that we're finally ready to launch it," says Berit Arboe Marthedal, International Product Manager, Bowel Management.

Size is an issue

Coloplast Director for Bowel Management Lena Ehmsen visited VUmc in October 2009 to see how Peristeen Small could help nurses and end-users. "Around 150 children at VUmc are irrigating but none of them with Peristeen," Lena says. "They are currently using an electric pump system, which is bulky and noisy. What makes Peristeen Anal Irrigation so special is the simplicity of the system. It’s easy to use, no electricity is needed, and the system can be brought on travels,” Lena continues.

VUmc's Edith Ekkerman is "thrilled that Coloplast has introduced the small Peristeen catheter - it's just what we need."

The product has been launched in Germany, Sweden, UK, Italy and the Netherlands, and the feedback has been very good.