The topic at hand is about the premature staining of filters in Hollister AF300 ostomy pouches. This issue has been causing some inconvenience for users who rely on these pouches for their daily needs. Here's a breakdown of the situation and some helpful insights from the community:
- After years of trial and error, one user found a routine that allowed each Hollister drainable one-piece pouch with a convex wafer and the AF300 filter to last 2-3 days. However, recently, the filters have been staining much sooner than expected.
- Each pouch still lasts at least 24 hours, sometimes up to 4 days, but not consistently for 3 days as before.
- Upon inspection, three different filter finishes were noticed:
1. Completely white filters last up to about 80 hours (approximately 3 ⅓ days).
2. Filters with a small dark mark in the upper-right corner last 2-3 days.
3. Filters with a dark strip across the entire top edge, sometimes solid black, last 1-2 days.
- In a box of 30 pouches, there were 11 white, 8 corner-marked, and 11 dark-topped filters.
- The suspected cause is an incomplete or misaligned white membrane over the AF300 filter, allowing moisture to reach the charcoal layer, causing staining and reducing deodorizing function.
- Hollister has been informed and is investigating the issue, having requested samples for Quality Assurance.
- An experiment with covering the filter with tape during bathing did not prevent early staining. The user is now tracking filter life based on visual type and will provide updates.
Additional observations and advice from the community include:
- Eighteen consecutive pouches with visibly "defective" filters stained before 48 hours, with none lasting two full days. Switching back to pouches with fully white filters restored 3-day wear without staining.
- The thickness of the output, whether dry or liquid, did not affect the staining.
- Covering the filter with tape during bathing did not help.
- Some users noticed that the placement of the white fabric over the filters varies, and filters often stop working when damp, especially while lying down.
- Using a liquid deodorizer like Hollister M9 inside the pouch at night caused morning filter wetness and staining for one user. Stopping the use of M9 at bedtime resolved the issue.
- Despite these challenges, many users still prefer filtered pouches for venting gas and plan to monitor their filters more closely, using the "white vs. marked" visual test.
- The community is eagerly awaiting Hollister's Quality Assurance findings and encourages everyone to report any product defects to help manufacturers address these issues.
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