Nurses Welcome NICE Support for Irrigation Device for Constipation and Faecal Incontinence

A medical device for treating constipation and faecal incontinence has been recommended for health service use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Specialist stoma care nurses working with both children and adults affected by faecal continence problems welcomed the decision by NICE to back the use of the Peristeen transanal irrigation system.In new medical technology guidance published today, NICE said the “case for adopting” the Peristeen for managing bowel dysfunction was “supported by the evidence”. According to NICE, the system can “reduce the severity of constipation and incontinence, improve quality of life and promote dignity and independence”. Read more.

Source: Nursing Times, February 23, 2018

Trulance Approved for Chronic Constipation

Trulance (plecanatide) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat persistent constipation of unknown (idiopathic) cause in adults. Some 42 million people in the United States are affected by constipation, according to the National Institutes of Health. Once-daily Trulance is designed to stimulate the upper gastrointestinal tract to secrete fluid and “support regular bowel function,” the FDA said in a news release. Read more.

Source: HealthDay News, January 20, 2017

Can Acupuncture Ease Severe Constipation?

People with severe chronic constipation may get relief from a more modern type of acupuncture, new research suggests. After eight weeks of treatment with electroacupuncture — acupuncture involving electrical stimulation — study participants experienced significant symptom and quality-of-life improvements, the study found. Electroacupuncture uses thin needles inserted beneath the skin that are attached to a device that sends electric pulses into the body. Read more.

Source: Health News Day, September 12, 2016