Barb-ended, self-actuating, partially indwelling and continually retained urinary catheter

Abstract

While waiting for prostate-size-reducing drugs or herbs to have an effect, it's often necessary to have a catheter, like the Foley, inserted into the bladder. Urine passing through such collects in a plastic bag which must be drained, regularly, and is awkward to carry and difficult to disguise under clothing. In lieu of a Foley, full-length self-cathetering is less awkward, but the recurring process can irritate the urethra and prostate, and increase the chance of getting cystitis. The present new catheter type has a barb-like tip to retain such inside the bladder. A urine drainage inlet is located less than an inch below the barb. The easy drainage of urine is facilitated simply by pushing the catheter upward until the inlet opening is inside the bladder. Because the required insertion distance is much reduced, there's less likelihood of there being irritation of the organs, and less likelihood of getting cystitis.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Urinary retention due to an enlarged prostate gland necessitates catheterization or surgery to allay possible kidney damage. Drugs that can shrink the prostate or relieve some of the constriction in the muscles that bound the gland can take months to have a notable effect. During such time, a catheter, such as the Foley, must be kept in place. Or the individual may choose to use a removable ‘self catheter’ repeatedly, day and night, whenever urine accumulation in the bladder dictates.

A Foley catheter provides continuous drainage into a collection bag. The latter is a hindrance to carry, drain, and disguise within clothing. Because of likely tugs on the catheter due to the collection bag and its tubing, there is an inflated bulb on a Foley. Such is most effective in preventing the unintentional slippage of the catheter from the body. But that bulb necessitates that the urine inlet slots be located from 1″ to 1½″ above the bottom of the bladder. If there is bleeding anywhere in the bladder, coagulated blood can accumulate below the bulb, and can cause blockage of the tube inlets, as when the user lies down. And because the Foley catheter is essentially unmoved once inserted, there is a chance that such can become incrusted with mineral deposits that could make a Foley difficult to remove.

Self-cathetering eliminates the hindrance of a bulky urine collection bag and its tubing, but entails repeated insertion of a semi-hard rubber tube through the urethra. There can be pain and irritation from the friction of that catheter type, even when well lubricated. And there is a high probability of introducing bacteria into the bladder, causing uncomfortable cystitis. When there is infection or irritation, the threshold of urine build-up—before getting the urge to void the bladder—is lowered. For that reason, self-cathetering can exacerbate problems which it was hoped would be lessened.

As with self-cathetering, the present invention drains urine from the bladder whenever the user feels the urge of an accumulation. But unlike with self-cathetering, such drainage can be actuated by as little as one inch of upward insertion of that left-in-place tube. The greatly shortened insertion distance is made possible because the drainage inlet of the tube is located below a retaining, barb-like metal tip. The constriction of the prostate gland itself prevents urine from flowing into the inlet slot until such slot is intentionally pushed up into the urine pool by the user. After doing so, urine can flow out the distal end of the tubing, once a stock tubing clamp has been opened.

Because of the much reduced insertion distance, the chance that bacteria can be pushed into the bladder is reduced, too—as is the pain and involvement in time and preparation for inserting a long tube each time voiding is needed. Because the tubing gets moved, regularly, the chance that mineral deposits will form is lessened—allowing this new catheter type to remain in place for longer periods than a Foley. When removal is desired, the size of the barb end of the metal tip is small enough to allow the catheter to be slowly pulled out. The eased edges of the barb will reduce the chance of injury to the urethra in doing so.

Conceptually, a sterile-water-inflated bulb can be substituted for the metal barb in the present embodiment of this invention, provided the urine inlet slot(s) is located well below the bulb, and there is sufficient catheter length beyond the tip of the penis to allow that variant of catheter to be pushed upward for actuating the catheter, while allowing room for a tubing clamp. The latter is needed to prevent leaks as could happen when the prostate and its musculature change over time due to the drugs being taken or other causal factors.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A semi-hard rubber catheter tube has a gold-plated, machined brass, cone-shaped barb bonded onto its upper end. The cone shape facilitates having the barb be inserted upward through the urethra. But the blunt, back end of the barb resists letting the catheter fall out once such has past the sphincter muscles at the bladder outlet. An inlet slot is located less than an inch below the back of the barb. Tightness in the sphincter muscle and in the enlarged prostate prevent urine from draining into the inlet slot. Additionally, there is a stock tubing clamp on the distal end of the tubing to prevent leakage until the inlet hole has been pushed up into the bladder and the clamp is intentionally opened. The catheter is actuated by the user slowly pushing the tubing upward until the drainage slot is within the urine pool. Urine will flow out until drained and stop on its own. The weight of the brass barb, plus the ‘expulsion’ contractions of the urethra, will return the barb to its former position. The entire drainage process is quicker and less painful than with a self-catheter. And there is also reduced risk of introducing bacteria into the bladder. That's because the ‘handled’ portion of the tubing for actuating bladder drainage never gets pushed into the bladder. The portion of tubing that is handled can be lubricated and cleaned with tap water after washing the hands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW OF THE DRAWING

The schematic drawing is a vertical section cut through a typical man's penis, prostate, and bladder. The catheter is shown as if in elevation (rather than in section) because the concept of a rubber tube that has a bonded metal barb on the end doesn't require a sectional drawing to be understood. The invention can be explained in a single drawing, because the process of having the user push the catheter, with its barb and the slot below, up into the urine pool to facilitate drainage, is easy to visualize from words alone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An enlarged prostate, 1, can restrict urine flow and cause urine, 6, to overly distend the bladder, 2. The present invention provides a catheter tube, 12, threaded through the tip of the penis, 4, which is firm enough to maintain a reliable passage through the enlarged prostate, 1. Unlike a Foley catheter that has a sterile-water-inflated bulb located within the bladder, 2, the present embodiment of the invention has a gold-plated, machined brass barb, 8, 9, and 10. Because the latter is largest on the back end, 10, the resistance to having the catheter, 12, slip out is several times greater than the effort needed to insert the cone-shaped tip, 8.

The barb, 8, 9, and 10 is bonded to the bullet-like end, 7, of the rubber catheter, 12. The projecting tip, 7, serves to help to ease the barb through the penis tip, 4; the urethra, 3; and the enlarged prostate, 1. Once inside the bladder, 2, the barb, 8, 9, and 10 can seat itself against, or slightly inside of the muscular outlet of the bladder. A cylindrical machined portion, 9, integral with the cone portion, 8, serves to resist the compression from the bladder sphincter. If the latter were allowed to press against the cone portion, 8, there would be a slight downward sliding component of the compressive force which could cause the catheter, 12, to fall out, or to at least move downward more that would be comfortable or desirable.

A urine drainage inlet(s), 11, is located less than an inch below the metal barb, 8, 9, and 10. In a tightly-enlarged prostate, 1, the compression around the urine drainage inlet(s), 11, is sufficient to prevent urine from leaking through the catheter, 12. Due to the effects of prostate-size-reducing drugs or herbs, or the muscle relaxing effects of drugs or for other reasons, a standard, unitary Nylon tubing clamp; 13 is positioned near the end of the catheter, 15. Such a clamp, 13, if allowed to extend down the user's pants leg, would tend to tug on the catheter, 12, and cause the metal barb, 8, 9, and 10, to begin moving downward through the enlarged prostate, 1. To reduce the chances of having the catheter, 12, and its clamp, 13 be tugged downward by entanglement in the user's pants, or for other reasons, the catheter, 12, is looped up toward the base of the penis, 5. An aptly sized rubber band, 14, fitted around the penis will greatly reduce the chance that the catheter, 12, and its clamp, 13, will get tugged downward.

When the user experiences the urge to void—brought on by the buildup of urine, 6, in the bladder, 2—he can release the rubber band, 14, and open the clamp, 13. With the tubing that extends from the penis tip, 4, to the distal end, 15, dangling into a lavatory, plain tap water can be splashed onto the catheter, 12, following the washing of the user's hands. With the catheter tubing, 12, now cleaned and lubricated with water, the user very slowly and gently pushes the catheter, 12, toward the penis tip, 4. While doing the latter, the metal barb, 8, 9, and 10 will be moving upward into the urine pool, 6. Once the urine outlet slot(s), 11, have reached the urine pool, 6, urine will be free to flow through the catheter, 12, and out of its distal end, 15, into the lavatory. Once the bladder, 2, is drained, the rubber band, 14, is again positioned over the penis, to hold the catheter, 12, and its now closed Nylon clamp, 13, in a position that is least likely to get tugged downward.

Because the portion of the catheter, 12, that must be handled in order to actuate the drainage of urine, 6, through inlet hole(s), 11, is small, the likelihood that harmful bacteria can be introduced into the enlarged prostate, 1, or into the bladder, 2, is greatly reduced. Therefore, the likelihood of the user developing cystitis will be reduced. Compared to ‘self-cathetering’ a full length of tubing into the bladder perhaps a dozen or more times day or night, the greatly improved ease of using the present new catheter type should be most obvious, and cause such to be preferred over either self-cathetering or using a Foley catheter with its pesky bag and the related problems already mentioned.

Claims

1. A urinary catheter having a gold-plated, machined brass, barb-like tip that serves to help retain such within the bladder.

2. A urinary catheter having a urine drainage slot(s) located below the barb-like tip that can drain urine once said slot(s) have been pushed upward by the user to be within the urine pool

3. A urinary catheter having a portion of such extending outside the penis and being clamped by a standard product to preclude unwanted leakage of urine.

4. A new catheter type, as above, that can be actuated by the user at will, simply by slowly pushing the catheter upward into the urine pool. The total process is more convenient than a Foley catheter, and is both easier and less likely to cause discomfort or infection than is the full-length-insertion that's required by the self-cathetering process.