A catheterization system for ease of care

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a convenient urinary catheterization system, comprising: a urinary catheter, a siphon structure, and a monitoring component. The system uses a urine conductivity sensor to monitor changes in urine conductivity in real time. When the conductivity reaches a preset threshold, it automatically triggers a test strip structure capable of continuously detecting urine to perform a urine test. A color acquisition unit reads the test strip color and generates a urine property report. This avoids the problem of test strips becoming ineffective due to prolonged soaking and achieves complete monitoring from infection risk warning to infection indicator diagnosis, significantly improving both accuracy and timeliness. The automatically triggered test strip detection replaces nurses' manual visual observation and colorimetric analysis, greatly reducing the frequency of nurses visiting wards to check urine bags, record urine volume, and determine urine characteristics. This frees nurses from tedious, repetitive tasks, allowing them to devote more energy to clinical professional care.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a urinary catheterization system that is easy to care for. Background Technology

[0002] Urinary catheterization is one of the most commonly used basic nursing techniques in clinical practice, widely applied in scenarios such as difficulty urinating, urine output monitoring during surgery, and fluid management for critically ill patients. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the most common complication of catheterization, accounting for approximately 36% of all healthcare-associated infections, ranking first among hospital-acquired infections. CAUTI not only prolongs patients' hospital stays and increases medical costs, but in severe cases, it can also lead to bacteremia and even death. Currently, clinical care for patients with indwelling urinary catheters mainly relies on manual rounds, frequently observing the urine volume, color, turbidity, sediment, and other visual indicators in the urine bag, and judging the presence of infection based on experience, resulting in a high workload for nursing staff.

[0003] Therefore, there are currently several directions for improvement, such as the Smart Urinalysis and Monitoring System developed by Purdue University. This system uses an antenna module attached to the outer wall of a urine bag to achieve non-contact measurement of urine volume and conductivity as an early risk marker for urinary tract infection. However, the monitoring parameters are relatively singular, and changes in conductivity alone are insufficient to distinguish between infection, crystal precipitation, or dietary influences. Therefore, the accuracy of the conclusions is not high, and they can only be used as reference data. For monitoring indicators related to urinary tract infection, dry test strips are still the most accurate. For example, a Chinese patent CN209027978U discloses a urine collection bag with a chip placed on the inner wall of a transparent bag, on which detection... Test strips and colorimetric cards allow for a preliminary assessment of infection risk through visual color comparison. Similarly, a Chinese patent CN217886642U discloses a urine bag capable of detecting urine components. A window is opened on one side of the urine collection bag, and a set of urine test strips is placed in the window. Each urine test strip can be observed through an impermeable membrane. By comparing each test strip with a urine colorimetric strip or colorimetric card, urine can be analyzed in a timely manner and changes in the condition can be detected. However, the above-mentioned technical solutions all have problems. For example, dry test strips quickly change color and become ineffective after continuous contact with urine, making long-term monitoring impossible and requiring frequent replacement by nurses.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a urinary catheterization system that is easy to care for, in order to reduce the workload of nursing staff. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a convenient urinary catheterization system to solve the problems mentioned in the background art. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a convenient urinary catheterization system, comprising:

[0007] Urinary catheter;

[0008] A siphon structure is provided on the urinary catheter, including a transfer chamber, an inlet tube, and an upper bend tube. The inlet tube connects the urinary catheter and the transfer chamber, and the upper bend tube connects the transfer chamber and the urine bag.

[0009] The monitoring components include a housing, a urine conductivity sensor, a test strip structure capable of continuously detecting urine, a color acquisition unit, and a control unit;

[0010] The housing is provided with a snap-fit ​​component, and the transfer cavity is detachably installed on the snap-fit ​​component;

[0011] The urine conductivity detection sensor is disposed in the housing. When the transfer chamber is installed in the snap-fit ​​component, the urine conductivity detection sensor is attached to the outer wall of the transfer chamber and is used to monitor the conductivity of urine in the transfer chamber.

[0012] The transfer chamber is provided with a detection hole, which is connected to the test strip structure that can continuously detect urine.

[0013] The control unit is electrically connected to the urine conductivity detection sensor, the test strip structure capable of continuously detecting urine, and the color acquisition unit. The control unit is configured to: trigger the test strip structure capable of continuously detecting urine to perform urine detection based on the conductivity data monitored by the urine conductivity detection sensor, and generate a urine property report based on the test strip color information acquired by the color acquisition unit.

[0014] Preferably, the test strip structure capable of continuously detecting urine includes:

[0015] A continuous test strip is formed by arranging multiple test strips at intervals along its length.

[0016] An unwinding mechanism and a rewinding mechanism are respectively located at both ends of an arc-shaped guide rail. The continuous test strip is wound around the unwinding mechanism, passes through the arc-shaped guide rail and the reaction chamber, and is wound up by the rewinding mechanism.

[0017] The reaction chamber is connected to the detection port;

[0018] Each time the winding mechanism receives a trigger signal, it advances the continuous test strips one station forward, allowing a new test strip to enter the reaction chamber.

[0019] Preferably, the test strip structure capable of continuously detecting urine further includes:

[0020] An airbag and an airbag squeezing mechanism are provided. The airbag is connected to the reaction chamber. The airbag squeezing mechanism is used to squeeze the airbag so that when the airbag recovers, it generates a negative pressure in the reaction chamber, drawing urine from the transfer chamber into the reaction chamber and bringing it into contact with the test strip located in the reaction chamber.

[0021] Preferably, the reaction chamber is provided with a boss and a guide plate. The test strip slides on the boss, and the guide plate squeezes the liquid-absorbing end of the test strip to make it bend downward, so that the test strip is L-shaped.

[0022] Preferably, the continuous test strip further includes a transparent plastic film, the test strips are bonded and fixed by the transparent plastic film, and adjacent test strips are independent of each other.

[0023] Preferably, the control unit is configured to trigger the test strip structure capable of continuously detecting urine to perform a urine test when the rate of change in conductivity detected by the urine conductivity detection sensor reaches a preset threshold.

[0024] Preferably, the preset threshold is when the conductivity increases by more than 20% within 4 hours.

[0025] Preferably, the upper bend is a flexible tube, and the housing is provided with a lifting structure. The lifting structure is connected to the upper bend and is used to adjust the height of the upper bend to adjust the siphon trigger pressure of the siphon structure.

[0026] Preferably, the bottom of the housing is connected to a hook via a pressure sensor, the urine bag is suspended on the hook, and the pressure sensor is electrically connected to the control unit to monitor the weight of the urine bag in real time and generate urine volume data.

[0027] Preferably, the transfer chamber or the urine bag is equipped with a one-way exhaust valve.

[0028] The present invention provides a convenient urinary catheterization system with the following beneficial effects:

[0029] 1. This invention monitors changes in urine conductivity in real time using a urine conductivity detection sensor. When the conductivity reaches a preset threshold, it automatically triggers a test strip structure capable of continuously detecting urine to perform a urine test. The color acquisition unit reads the color of the test strip and generates a urine property report. This not only avoids the problem of test strips becoming ineffective after long-term soaking, but also achieves complete monitoring from infection risk warning to infection indicator diagnosis. Compared with existing technologies that rely on single conductivity monitoring or single test strip detection, the accuracy and timeliness are significantly improved.

[0030] 2. This invention achieves automatic intermittent bladder emptying through a siphon structure, eliminating the need for nurses to frequently manually open the catheter; it achieves automatic and continuous monitoring of conductivity and urine volume through urine conductivity and pressure sensors, respectively, with data automatically uploaded to the nurses' station; and it replaces nurses' manual visual observation and colorimetric analysis with automatically triggered test strip detection, significantly reducing the frequency of nurses' trips to the ward to check urine bags, record urine volume, and judge urine characteristics, freeing nurses from tedious and repetitive work and allowing them to devote more energy to clinical professional care.

[0031] 3. This invention adjusts the height of the upper bend tube by setting an lifting structure, which can dynamically adjust the trigger pressure of the siphon structure. When bladder function needs to be trained, the height of the upper bend tube is lowered so that the bladder can urinate at a lower pressure; when bladder storage capacity needs to be trained, the height of the upper bend tube is raised so that the bladder needs to reach a higher pressure to trigger urination. This adjustable intermittent urination mode simulates the normal physiological process of urination, which helps patients with long-term indwelling catheters to restore bladder function and reduces the occurrence of urination difficulties after catheter removal.

[0032] 4. This invention monitors the weight of the urine bag in real time using a pressure sensor to generate a continuous urine volume change curve; monitors the trend of urine ion concentration changes using a conductivity sensor; and obtains semi-quantitative results of key infection indicators through trigger-type test strip detection. The above multi-dimensional data is automatically uploaded to the nurse station or cloud via a wireless module to form a complete patient urination record, providing objective basis for doctors to adjust treatment plans and assess infection risks, while avoiding omissions or errors that may occur with manual recording. Attached Figure Description

[0033] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the urinary catheterization system described in this invention;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the siphon structure described in this invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the monitoring component described in this invention;

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the test strip capable of continuously detecting urine according to the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the continuous test strip described in this invention;

[0039] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the reaction chamber described in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a more convenient urinary catheterization system according to the present invention. The advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, and are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0041] In the description of this invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0042] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. Therefore, the illustrations only show the components related to the present invention and are not drawn according to the actual number, shape and size of the components in the actual implementation. In the actual implementation, the state, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0043] An easy-to-care-for urinary catheterization system, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes a urinary catheter 1, a siphon structure 2, a urine bag 3, and a monitoring component 4. The urinary catheter 1 is provided with a siphon structure 2.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the siphon structure 2 includes a transfer chamber 21, an inlet pipe 22, and an upper bend pipe 23. The upper end of the transfer chamber 21 is connected to the inlet pipe 22, which is connected to the catheter 1. The lower end of the transfer chamber 21 is connected to the upper bend pipe 23, which is connected to the urine bag 3.

[0045] like Figure 3As shown, the monitoring component 4 includes a housing 41, a urine conductivity sensor 42, a snap-fit ​​connector 43, a mounting component 44, a test strip structure 45 capable of continuously detecting urine, a color acquisition unit 46, and a control unit. The mounting component 44 is located on the upper side of the housing 41, used to fix the housing 41 in a certain position, such as using a hook as the mounting component 44 to fix it to the handrail beside the bed. A snap-fit ​​connector 43 is located on one side of the housing 41, used for detachably mounting the transfer chamber 21. The urine conductivity sensor 42 is mounted on the housing 41. After the transfer chamber 21 is mounted on the snap-fit ​​connector 43, the urine conductivity sensor 42 adheres to the transfer chamber 21. A detection hole 211 is provided on the transfer chamber 21, and the detection hole 211 is connected to the test strip structure 45 capable of continuously detecting urine. Next, a color acquisition unit 46 is provided on the test strip structure 45 that can continuously detect urine. The urine conductivity detection sensor 42, the test strip structure 45 that can continuously detect urine, and the color acquisition unit 46 are electrically connected to the control unit. The control unit is configured to: receive data from the urine conductivity detection sensor 42, calculate the conductivity of urine, and when the rate of change of conductivity detected by the urine conductivity detection sensor 42 reaches a preset threshold, trigger the test strip structure 45 that can continuously detect urine to perform a urine test. The color acquisition unit 46 acquires the color of the test strip, compares the color with the color of the stored colorimetric card, generates a urine property report, and sends it to the cloud or nurse station system through the built-in wireless module. Specifically, the preset threshold is that the conductivity increases by more than 20% within 4 hours.

[0046] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the test strip structure 45 capable of continuously detecting urine includes a continuous test strip 451, an arc-shaped guide rail 452, a reaction chamber 453, an air bladder 454, an air bladder compression mechanism 455, an unwinding mechanism 456, and a winding mechanism 457. The unwinding mechanism 456 and the winding mechanism 457 are respectively located at both ends of the arc-shaped guide rail 452. The continuous test strip 451 is wound around the unwinding mechanism 456, passes through the arc-shaped guide rail 452 and the reaction chamber 453, and is wound up by the winding mechanism 457. Initially, the reaction chamber 453 is connected to the detection port 211, and the reaction chamber 453 is also connected to the air bladder 454. The air bladder 454 is equipped with an air bladder squeezing mechanism 455, which is used to flatten the air bladder 454. When the air bladder 454 recovers, it generates negative pressure in the reaction chamber 453, which draws a small amount of urine from the transfer chamber 21 into the reaction chamber 453. The urine then comes into contact with the continuous test strip 451, producing a color change reaction. Finally, the color of the test strip is collected by the color acquisition unit 46.

[0047] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5As shown, the continuous test strip 451 includes a test strip 451a and a transparent plastic film 451b. The test strip 451a is used to detect key indicators in urine, such as white blood cells, nitrite, urobilinogen, protein, pH, occult blood, specific gravity, ketone bodies, bilirubin, and glucose, or one or more of these. The test strip 451a is bonded together with the transparent plastic film 451b. Each test strip 451a is independent of the others, forming a long strip of continuous test strip 451. The top of the reaction chamber 453 is made of high-transparency glass, and the color acquisition unit 46 acquires the color of the test strip 451a through the high-transparency glass.

[0048] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, a boss 458 is provided inside the reaction chamber 453, and a guide plate 459 is provided on the top of the reaction chamber 453. After the test strip 451a enters the reaction chamber 453 from the arc-shaped guide rail 452, the main body of the test strip 451a slides on the boss 458. The liquid-absorbing end of the test strip 451a is squeezed by the guide plate 459 and bends downward. At this time, the test strip 451a is L-shaped. After the urine enters the reaction chamber 453, only the liquid-absorbing end of the test strip 451a comes into contact with the urine, so as to avoid contaminating other test strips 451a.

[0049] In some embodiments, the upper bend 23 is a flexible tube, and a lifting structure 5 is provided on the housing 41. The lifting structure 5 is connected to the upper bend 23 and is used to lift the height of the upper bend 23, thereby adjusting the siphon trigger pressure of the siphon structure 2, realizing dynamic adjustment of the bladder discharge pressure, and realizing training of bladder function.

[0050] In some embodiments, the bottom of the housing 41 is connected to a hook via a pressure sensor 6. The hook is used to fix the urine bag 3. The weight of the urine bag 3 is detected by the pressure sensor 6. The pressure sensor 6 is electrically connected to the control unit to generate urine volume data.

[0051] In some embodiments, an exhaust valve 212 is provided on the transfer chamber 21. In other embodiments, the exhaust valve 212 is provided on the urine bag 3. The exhaust valve 212 can only exhaust air to the outside in one direction and cannot drain water.

[0052] In some embodiments, the urine conductivity detection sensor 42 employs a non-contact radio frequency sensing principle similar to that of the SmartUrinalysis and Monitoring System mentioned in the background art. Specifically, the urine conductivity detection sensor has a coil printed on a flexible PCB board and attached to the outer wall of the transfer cavity 21. The coil is connected to a radio frequency oscillation circuit and connected to a logarithmic detector via a directional coupler. The control unit is configured to: drive the radio frequency oscillation circuit to generate an excitation signal, applying an alternating electromagnetic field to the urine in the transfer cavity 21 through the coil; receive the DC voltage signal output by the detector, which is related to the quality factor Q of the coil; when the urine conductivity changes, the induced eddy currents in the urine consume the coil energy, causing the Q value to decrease, and the detector output voltage changes accordingly; the control unit calculates the urine conductivity value in real time according to a preset voltage-conductivity mapping relationship.

[0053] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A urinary catheterization system that is easy to care for, characterized in that, include: Urinary catheter (1); A siphon structure (2) is provided on the catheter (1), including a transfer chamber (21), an inlet tube (22) and an upper bend tube (23). The inlet tube (22) connects the catheter (1) and the transfer chamber (21), and the upper bend tube (23) connects the transfer chamber (21) and the urine bag (3). The monitoring component (4) includes a housing (41), a urine conductivity detection sensor (42), a test strip structure (45) capable of continuously detecting urine, a color acquisition unit (46), and a control unit; wherein, The housing (41) is provided with a snap-fit ​​member (43), and the transfer cavity (21) is detachably installed on the snap-fit ​​member (43). The urine conductivity detection sensor (42) is disposed on the housing (41). When the transfer chamber (21) is installed on the snap-fit ​​member (43), the urine conductivity detection sensor (42) is attached to the outer wall of the transfer chamber (21) to monitor the conductivity of urine in the transfer chamber (21). The transfer chamber (21) is provided with a detection hole (211), and the detection hole (211) is connected to the test paper structure (45) that can continuously detect urine. The control unit is electrically connected to the urine conductivity detection sensor (42), the test strip structure (45) capable of continuously detecting urine, and the color acquisition unit (46). The control unit is configured to: trigger the test strip structure (45) capable of continuously detecting urine to perform urine detection based on the conductivity data monitored by the urine conductivity detection sensor (42), and generate a urine property report based on the test strip color information acquired by the color acquisition unit (46).

2. The urinary catheterization system for easy care according to claim 1, characterized in that, The test strip structure (45) capable of continuously detecting urine includes: The continuous test strip (451) is formed by arranging multiple test strips (451a) at intervals along the length direction; The unwinding mechanism (456) and the winding mechanism (457) are respectively located at both ends of the arc-shaped guide rail (452). The continuous test strip (451) is wound around the unwinding mechanism (456), passes through the arc-shaped guide rail (452) and the reaction chamber (453), and is wound up by the winding mechanism (457). The reaction chamber (453) is connected to the detection hole (211); Each time the winding mechanism (457) receives a trigger signal, it moves the continuous test strip (451) forward one station, so that a new test strip (451a) enters the reaction chamber (453).

3. The urinary catheterization system for easy care according to claim 2, characterized in that, The test strip structure (45) capable of continuously detecting urine also includes: An airbag (454) and an airbag squeezing mechanism (455) are provided. The airbag (454) is connected to the reaction chamber (453). The airbag squeezing mechanism (455) is used to squeeze the airbag (454) so ​​that when the airbag (454) recovers, it generates a negative pressure in the reaction chamber (453) and draws the urine in the transfer chamber (21) into the reaction chamber (453) and into contact with the test strip (451a) located in the reaction chamber (453).

4. The urinary catheterization system for easy care according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reaction chamber (453) is provided with a boss (458) and a guide plate (459). The test strip (451a) slides on the boss (458). The guide plate (459) squeezes the liquid-absorbing end of the test strip (451a) to make it bend downward, so that the test strip (451a) is L-shaped.

5. The urinary catheterization system for easy care according to claim 2, characterized in that, The continuous test strip (451) also includes a transparent plastic film (451b), the test strip (451a) is glued and fixed by the transparent plastic film (451b), and adjacent test strips (451a) are independent of each other.

6. The urinary catheterization system for easy care according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit is configured to trigger the test strip structure (45) capable of continuously detecting urine to perform a urine test when the rate of change in conductivity detected by the urine conductivity detection sensor (42) reaches a preset threshold.

7. A urinary catheterization system that is easy to care for according to claim 6, characterized in that, The preset threshold is when the conductivity increases by more than 20% within 4 hours.

8. The urinary catheterization system for easy care according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper bend (23) is a flexible tube, and the housing (41) is provided with a lifting structure (5). The lifting structure (5) is connected to the upper bend (23) and is used to adjust the height of the upper bend (23) to adjust the siphon trigger pressure of the siphon structure (2).

9. A urinary catheterization system that is easy to care for according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the housing (41) is connected to a hook via a pressure sensor (6), and the urine bag (3) is suspended on the hook. The pressure sensor (6) is electrically connected to the control unit to monitor the weight of the urine bag (3) in real time and generate urine volume data.

10. A urinary catheterization system that is easy to care for according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer chamber (21) or the urine bag (3) is provided with a one-way exhaust valve (212).

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