Flushable devices, kits and methods for retaining material expelled from the gastrointestinal tract in the toilet

Abstract

A flushable device is described that maintains structural integrity in the toilet for sufficient time to enable easy and convenient retrieval of materials expelled from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including ingested medical devices. The device is flushable at the end of the retrieval process.

Description

FLUSHABLE DEVICES, KITS AND METHODS FOR RETAINING MATERIAL EXPELLED FROM THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT IN THE TOILETCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of the provisional patent application titled “Devices And Methods For Blocking The Outlet Of A Toilet With A Flushable Device”, application number 63 / 533,126, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on August 16, 2023. The specification of the above referenced patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Various ingestible medical devices have been developed for sampling or imaging the intestines. There is a need to retrieve such ingested medical devices from the toilet after they are expelled from the GI tract. Currently, the options for collecting ingested medical devices consist mainly of defecating into a toilet and hoping that the device did not pass beyond the outlet of the toilet bowl. Due to the curvature of the toilet bowl outlet and the difficulty in reaching and visualizing that region of the toilet, particularly if the stool dirties the water, it becomes very challenging to search for any expelled ingested medical devices that are passed into the toilet during defecation.

[0003] Alternatively, it is possible to defecate into plastic stool collection containers either on or off the toilet. The use of these plastic containers, which are essentially buckets, is inconvenient for the user as they require the handling of bulky containers as well as the disposal of a soiled container with odor and sanitary concerns.

[0004] Some plastic stool collection containers have a mesh bottom that requires flushing the stool away through the mesh openings, leaving the ingested medical device retained in the container. The flushing of hard stool through small openings of the mesh is difficult and messy.

[0005] Existing flushable devices for collection of a stool sample are made of thin and flimsy material such as tissue paper or dissolvable films or sheets that enable momentary retention of stool above the toilet bowl water line. Existing flushable collection devices are usually hung from the toilet seat and maintain their structural integrity just long enough to enable the scooping out of a stool sample into a separate collection container to be sent for analysis. Existing flushable stool collection devices are too thin, made from material that dissolves too quickly, degrade readily under any mechanical stress, or are not sufficiently sturdy to support the weight of materials expelled from the GI tract for extended periods of time. Even if the existing devices for collection of stool are kept dry by being suspended above the toilet bowl, the moisture from the material expelled from the GI tract is sufficient to degrade the material from which the flushablc device is made, and as a result the existing devices lose structural integrity within a minute or so after being exposed to stool. The mechanical recovery process requires breaking apart stool, which can be quite solid and hard, and which will therefore tear the existing flushable collection devices and cause the stool and the ingested medical device to sink deep into the toilet bowl, where recovery becomes difficult or even impossible. Therefore, existing devices for collection of a stool sample do not enable retrieval of an ingested medical device, which may require poking and prodding the stool sample with a recovery wand for several minutes.

[0006] Non-flushable stool collection devices, such as plastic bags that fit over the toilet seat, also present sanitary disposal challenges making them unsuitable for collecting ingested medical devices.

[0007] The present invention consists of a flushable device to retain material expelled from the GI tract and / or temporarily block the outlet portion of the toilet bowl to prevent an digestible medical device from sinking to the outlet region area of the toilet bowl that is inaccessible. The flushable retention device can take the form of a stool retention pad that sits above the water line, floats on the surface of the toilet bowl water or rests against the inside or bottom surfaces of a toilet bowl below the water line and temporarily prevents stool from reaching the toilet outlet for sufficient time to enable the search andretrieval of an ingested medical device using a recovery wand. After completion of the search process for the ingested medical device in the stool, the retention device is flushed down the toilet. The force of the water swirling in the toilet bowl breaks up or collapses the flushable retention device into a shape or shapes that fit through the toilet bowl outlet. Alternatively, the flushable retention device is broken up into fragments by puncturing and slicing the retention device with a rigid object such as the recovery wand before the fragmented retention device is flushed down the toilet. Alternatively, the flushable retention device collapses in size around the stool and eventually degrades in the sewer system.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention provides flushable retention devices and methods for recovering ingested medical devices from the toilet bowl in a convenient and hygienic manner. The flushable retention device is a pad or sheet that comprises wood pulp fibers or a water-soluble polymer that maintains structural integrity in water for several minutes or more, and resists manipulation of the stool by a recovery wand to enable easy and convenient retrieval of an ingested medical device above the outlet region of the toilet bowl.

[0009] Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those disclosed herein can be used in the practice of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are disclosed below. In case of conflict, the patent specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0011] The present invention relates to a flushable device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract in order to allow for the retrieval of an ingested medical device from the toilet.

[0012] The terms “device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract” and “stool retention pad” are used interchangeably in this patent application.

[0013] In an initial aspect, the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract, comprises a toilet-flushable stool retention pad capable of retaining the expelled material, which can be stool and the ingested medical device, for at least 1 minute, preferably at least 2 minutes and more preferably at least 5 minutes in a toilet bowl before losing structural integrity.

[0014] In some embodiments, the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract pad is a pad that is 8 to 25 centimeters in diameter.

[0015] In some embodiments, the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract is a pad that is made from fibers derived from wood pulp.

[0016] In some embodiments, the fibers are randomly oriented.

[0017] In some embodiments, the water retention value of the pad is below 5 grams per gram of pad.

[0018] In some embodiments, the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract is a pad that loses structural integrity in the water of the toilet bowl without clumping or wadding.

[0019] In some embodiments, the burst strength of the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract when dry is between 10 psi to 30 psi.

[0020] In some embodiments, the bulk density of the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract is less than 25 grams per cubic centimeter.

[0021] In some embodiments, the bending resistance of the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract is 100 milli-Newton or more.

[0022] In some embodiment, the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract is provided in a kit together with a wand for snaring the ingested medical device and removing it from the stool.

[0023] In some embodiment, the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract is provided in a kit together with a magnetic wand for attaching to the ingested medical device and removing it from the stool.

[0024] In some embodiment, the device for retaining material expelled from the GI tract is provided in a kit together with the medical device that is to be ingested.

[0025] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is in the range of 0.25 to 10 millimeters thick, preferably 2 to 8 millimeters thick, and more preferably 3 to 6 millimeters thick. This thickness range enables the stool retention pad to have sufficient bending resistance to support the weight of the stool, as well as resist fragmentation or disintegration when the recovery wand is passed through the stool in order to search for and retrieve the ingested device. The bending resistance increases with the cube of the thickness of the stool retention pad. Existing flushable stool retention pads are paper-thin,which provides insufficient bending resistance for supporting a stool sample while allowing manipulation of the stool to search for any embedded ingested device therein.

[0026] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad fragments into sections that are 8 cm or less in a linear dimension when intentionally poked or sliced with the retrieval wand, without clumping, wadding or otherwise accumulating around the retrieval wand as normal tissue or toilet paper would do.

[0027] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad fragments into sections that are 8 cm or less in a linear dimension without clumping or wadding as a result of the force applied to the pad by the flush water.

[0028] In a further embodiment, stool that is defecated into the toilet remains on top of the stool retention pad for at least 1 minute, preferably at least 2 minutes and more preferably at least 5 minutes before the stool retention pad disintegrates in order to give the user sufficient time to recover the ingested medical device from the stool.

[0029] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is a flat circular pad 8 to 25 cm in diameter.

[0030] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is a bowl-shaped circular pad 8 to 25 cm in diameter.

[0031] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is a polygonal pad such as a triangle, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, and the like, 8 to 25 cm in diameter. The advantage of this embodiment is that the comers of the polygonal pad will rest on the inside surface of the toilet bowl and prevent the stool retention pad from tipping or moving before or during the time that stool is deposited on topside of the stool retention pad.

[0032] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad has radial extensions that touch the inside surface of the toilet bowl and prevent the stool retention pad from tipping or moving before or during the time that stool is deposited on topside of the stool retention pad.

[0033] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is suspended above the water surface of the toilet bowl from the toilet seat.

[0034] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is suspended above the water surface of the toilet bowl from the toilet rim.

[0035] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad floats on the water surface of the toilet bowl.

[0036] In a further embodiment, at least a portion of the stool retention pad rests against the inside surface of the toilet bowl at the water line.

[0037] In a further embodiment, at least a portion of the stool retention pad rests against the inside surface of the toilet bowl below the water line.

[0038] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad remains submerged below the water line in the toilet bowl.

[0039] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is configured to sit at the bottom of the toilet bowl in proximity to the toilet bowl outlet.

[0040] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad comprises wood pulp fibers used for producing tissue paper.

[0041] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad comprises wood pulp fibers used for producing toilet paper.

[0042] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is formed from a fiber slurry.

[0043] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is formed by using a pad mold from fiber slurry and then dried into a solid form. In this manner, fibers are not aligned and therefore the stool retention pad fragments easily in the toilet bowl without clumping, wadding or otherwise accumulating to facilitate dispersion and flushability.

[0044] In a further embodiment, when tested by the TAPPI T 807 bursting strength method, the stool retention pad has a burst strength when dry of 1 psi or more, preferably 5 psi or more, more preferably 10 psi or more, so that stool sitting on top of the stool retention pad does not break through and move deeper into the toilet bowl. For reference, normal toilet paper when dry has a burst strength of approximately 0.05 psi. These burst strength value drop significantly once the paper product is wet, either from the moisture in the stool or the water in the toilet bowl. Assuming the average bowel movement weighs one pound and covers an area of 10 square inches on the stool retention pad, the pressure on the stool retention pad is 0.1 psi. Therefore, to provide a safety margin to allow for manipulation of the stool by the recovery wand on a wet paper product, a minimum dry burst strength of 1 psi is required.

[0045] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad has a burst strength when dry of 100 psi or less, preferably 50 psi or less, and more preferably 30 psi or less to enable intentional fragmentation of the stool retention pad with a stiff object such as a recovery wand, or by the force of the water being flushed in the toilet. For reference, corrugated cardboard has a burst strength range of approximately 140 to 350 psi and will not fragment easily, even when wet.

[0046] In a further embodiment, when intentionally poked or sliced by a stiff object, the stool retention pad fragments into pieces that are 8 cm or less along a linear dimension, so that the fragments can fit through the toilet bowl outlet which is approximately 8 cm indiameter. In this manner, the stool retention pad will be eliminated from the toilet bowl during a flush after the ingested medical device is retrieved from the stool.

[0047] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad has a bulk density of less than 25 grams per cubic centimeter, or preferably less than 10 grams per cubic centimeter or more preferably less than 2.5 grams per cubic centimeter. By way of reference, tissue has a bulk density of 55-110 grams per cubic centimeter. The relatively low bulk density of the stool retention pad is a result of not apply high pressure to the pulp slurry during the drying process, thereby allowing open spaces to remain in the structure of the stool retention pad. These open spaces increase the thickness of the stool retention pad for a given mass of material, which in turn increases the bending resistance, or stiffness, of the stool retention pad by the cube of the thickness. The open spaces in the stool retention pad also allow for water ingress that facilitates intentional fragmentation of the stool retention pad in preparation for flushing. If the stool retention pad were to have a bulk density of great than 25 grams per cubic centimeter, the stool retention pad would be too difficult to fragment and flush away.

[0048] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad comprises randomly-oriented fibers, with relatively short fiber length of 1 millimeter or less, preferably 0.5 mm or less, but having a high ratio of length to width allowing the stool retention pad to fragment easily in the toilet without clumping or wadding, which increases dispersibility and flushability of the product. This embodiment is in contrast to how most paper products are made with aligned fibers in the machine direction to maximize cohesion and strength of the resulting product.

[0049] In a further embodiment, when tested according to TAPPI standard UM256, the water retention of the stool retention pad is 5 grams per gram of pad or less, preferably 3 grams per gram of pad or less or more preferably 1.5 grams per gram of pad or less. By way of reference, normal toilet paper has a water retention value of 6- 18 grams per gram of paper. The relatively low water retention value of the stool retention pad allows for the stool retention pad to not swell when placed in the water of the toilet bowl, whichmaintains the structural integrity of the stool retention pad. A water retention value of normal toilet paper would cause swelling and reduce the stiffness and mechanical integrity of the paper product when wet to a level below that required to support the weight of a bowel movement on top of the stool retention pad.

[0050] In a further embodiment, when measured by the TAPPI T489 standard for bending resistance, the stool retention pad has a bending resistance when dry of 100 milli-Newton or more, preferably 200 milli-Newton or more, and more preferably 400 milli-Newton or more. By way of reference, notebook cardboard has a bending resistance in the range of 400-800 milli-Newton, yet is not flushable at all. The stool retention pad also has a bending moment of 5 milli-Newton-meter or more, preferably 10 milli-Newton-meter or more and more preferably 25 milli-Newton-meter or more. The bending resistance is mainly a function of the thickness of the stool retention pad, which is in the range of 0.25 to 10 mm in thickness.

[0051] In a further embodiment, the user places a stool retention pad in the toilet bowl in order to prevent the stool from sinking to the outlet region of the toilet bowl. The user defecates into the toilet on top of the stool retention pad. The user utilizes a recovery wand to remove an ingested medical device embedded in the stool by physical or magnetic means. The user then flushes the toilet, and the stool retention pad fragments into pieces smaller in one linear dimension than the 8 cm diameter outlet of the toilet bowl. Flushing eliminates both the stool and the fragmented stool retention pad from the toilet bowl. The stool retention pad disperses over time much like normal toilet paper and therefore does not block the plumbing or interfere with the sewage treatment process.

[0052] In a further embodiment, the horizontal lateral sweeping motion of the recovery wand through the stool sitting on top of the stool retention pad does not cause the disintegration of the stool retention pad.

[0053] In a further embodiment, the user intentionally breaks apart the stool retention pad by pushing a stiff object, for example the recovery wand, in the vertical direction topuncture the stool retention pad and then slices the stool retention pad into fragments prior to flushing the toilet.

[0054] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad comprises a water-soluble polymer in film form that is in the range of 0.05 millimeters to 0.25 millimeters thick.

[0055] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad comprises a water-soluble polymer in non-woven fiber form.

[0056] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad comprises a water-soluble polymer in a woven fiber form.

[0057] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad utilizes the water-soluble polymer to strengthen the cohesion of the wood pulp fibers that constitute the main structure of the stool retention pad.

[0058] In a further embodiment, the water-soluble polymer makes up the majority by mass of the stool retention pad.

[0059] In a further embodiment, the water-soluble polymer is poly vinyl alcohol or poly vinyl acetate.

[0060] In a further embodiment, the hydrolysis level of the poly vinyl alcohol or poly vinyl acetate is 99% or more, 98% or more, 88% or more, or 80% or more. The higher the hydrolysis value, the slower the poly vinyl alcohol or poly vinyl acetate dissolves or degrades in water.

[0061] In a further embodiment, a plasticizer is added to the water-soluble polymer to enable the water-soluble polymer to deform and surround the stool during the flushing process. In this manner, a water-soluble polymer in the form of a disk 8 to 25 cm in diameter will collapse to less than 8 cm in diameter during the flushing process, and willtherefore fit through the outlet portion of the toilet. By way of example, plasticizers comprise polyethylene glycol, glycerol, sorbitol and the like.

[0062] In a further embodiment, the water-soluble polymer comprises, by way of example, hydroxylpropyl-methylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, carboxymethylcellulose, polyethylene-oxide, polyethylene glycol, hydroxylpropyl-cellulose, hydroxylethyl-cellulose, methyl-cellulose, pullulan, gelatin, pectin, sodium alginate, maltodextrin, polymerized rosin, gum, zein, alginate, polyesters, cellulose ethers, chitosan, carrageenan, dextran, dextrin, flour, and gluten.

[0063] In a further embodiment, the cross-linking of the water-soluble polymer is modified in order to control for the rate of solubility or degradation of the polymer in water.

[0064] In a further embodiment, the water-soluble polymer is a formed as a film that is suspended in the toilet bowl above the water line and is supported by a connection to the toilet bowl rim or toilet bowl seat.

[0065] In a further embodiment, the flushable device to retain material expelled from the GI tract is detached from the toilet and flushed while still intact. In this embodiment, the device collapses around the material expelled from the GI tract and only degrades fully in the sewer system after more than 5 minutes.

[0066] In a further embodiment, the water-soluble polymer film dissolves after 1 minute, preferably after 2 minutes and more preferably after 5 minutes in room temperature water.

[0067] In a further embodiment, the water-soluble polymer film has a puncture resistance of at least 1 psi when wet and before being flushed down the toilet.

[0068] In a further embodiment, the stool retention pad is at least partially coated with a water impermeable coating at a level sufficient to provide at least 1 minute, preferably 2 minutes and more preferably 5 minutes before the loss of structural integrity of the stool retention pad when wet. By way of example, water impermeable coatings comprises waxes, hydrophobic coatings and the like.

[0069] EXAMPLE 1

[0070] Four rolls of standard toilet paper were placed in a 5-gallon bucket containing two gallons of water and allowed to soak overnight. A paint mixer attached to a rotary drill was used to create a fiber slurry from the toilet paper. A slug of the wet slurry was placed in a circular mold 20 cm in diameter and 6 mm thick with a mesh bottom. A roller pin was used to spread the slurry into the mold and excess water was allowed to drain through the mesh. The damp fiber pad was dried at room temperature for 2 days, thereby forming a stool retention pad. The stool retention pad was mechanically tested under the following standards and the results are shown in Table 1 below.Table 1 : Mechanical properties of stool retention pad.

[0071] The stool retention pad was placed in the toilet bowl. The user defecated on top of the stool retention pad, which was resting against the surface of the toilet bowl at the level of the water line. A metal wand was used to slice through the stool which was above the water line in order to snare an ingestible medical device that was embedded in the stool. After retrieval of the ingested medical device, a sample of stool was also scooped out from above the water line for future analysis. The metal wand was pushed through the stool retention pad and then in a slicing motion, the stool retention pad was fragmented in sections less than 8 cm in the narrowest linear dimension. The stool and fragmented stool retention pad were flushed down the toilet.

[0072] EXAMPLE 2

[0073] A flushable device to retain material expelled from the GI tract was fabricated using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, Mowiol 4-88 from Sigma Adrich, St Louis MO) with an 88% hydrolysis level. The PVA was dissolved in hot water and the plasticizer polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG) was added at 50% weight / weight ratio to the dry PVA. The PVA / plasticizer solution was spread out on a flat surface. A flexible PVA film 0.15 mm thick was formed as the water was allowed to dry. The PVA film was cut out in a circle 15 cm in diameter with four extensions onto which was applied double stick tape. The extensions were used to adhere the flushable device onto the toilet set and suspend the circular portion of the flushable device above the water in the toilet bowl.

[0074] The user defecated on top of the flushable device. Over the course of 2 minutes, a metal wand was used to slice through the stool that was present on top of the flushable device in order to snare an ingestible medical device that was embedded in the stool. The wand applied over 1 psi of pressure to the flushable device, which at this point was wet from the moisture in the stool, yet the flushable device maintained structural integrity and did not allow the retrieval wand to puncture the PVA film. After retrieval of the ingested medical device, a sample of stool was also scooped out from above the PVA film forfuture analysis. The adhesive tabs retaining the flushable device were released from the toilet scat and the stool and flushablc device dropped into the toilet bowl. The flushablc device deformed and surrounded the stool in a package less than 8 cm in diameter as both were flushed away in the toilet. The flushable device eventually dissolved completely in the sewer system.

[0075] EXAMPLE 3

[0076] Six units of the stool retention pad described in Example 1 were packaged in a kit that also contained an ingestible intestinal sampling capsule that turns into a long thin tube inside the intestines, along with a hooked retrieval wand made from wire similar in strength to a coat hanger. A user ingested the intestinal sampling device. Starting with the first bowel movement after ingestion, the user placed a stool retention pad in the toilet bowl and defecated on top of the stool retention pad. Over the course of at least 2 minutes, the user used the hooked retrieval wand to slice through the stool that was sitting above the water line on top of the stool retention pad until the user determined that the ingested intestinal sampling device was not present in that particular bowel movement. The user poked the stool retention pad with the retrieval wand and using a slicing motion broke the stool retention pad into fragments that were less than 8 cm in the narrowest linear dimension. The fragmented stool retention pad did not clump or wad onto the retrieval wand and the fragments floated freely in toilet without associating with one another. The user then flushed the stool and the fragmented stool retention pad down the toilet.

[0077] The process above was repeated during the second bowel movement a day later without the user retrieving the ingested medical device.

[0078] On the third day, using the third stool retention pad in the provided kit, during the course of at least 2 minutes, the user successfully snared the long thin tube of the ingested medical device using the hooked end of the retrieval wand. The ingested medical device was lifted out of the stool into a sealed container and sent for analysis. The user poked thestool retention pad with the retrieval wand and with a slicing motion broke the stool retention pad into free floating fragments that were less than 8 cm in the narrowest linear dimension. The user then flushed the stool and the fragmented stool retention pad down the toilet.

[0079] As used herein, the terms “about”, “around”, or “approximately” refer to + / - 20%.

[0080] It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0081] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMSI claim:

1. A device for retaining material expelled from the gastrointestinal tract, the device comprising a toilet- flushable pad capable of retaining the material for at least 2 minutes in a toilet bowl before losing structural integrity.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said pad is 8 to 25 centimeters in diameter.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said pad is 0.25 to 10 millimeters thick.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said pad is made from fibers derived from wood pulp.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said fibers are randomly oriented.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the water retention value of said pad is below 5 grams per gram of said pad.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said pad loses structural integrity in water of said toilet bowl without clumping or wadding.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein burst strength of said pad when dry is between 10 psi to 30 psi.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein a bulk density of said pad is less than 25 grams per cubic centimeter.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein a bending resistance of said pad when dry is 100 milli-Newton or more.

11. A kit for retrieving material expelled from the gastrointestinal tract, the kit comprising the device of claim 1 and instructions for: a. placing the device in a toilet bowl, b. defecating on top of the device, c. passing a retrieval wand through stool to retrieve the material, d. fragmenting the device, and e. flushing the fragmented device.

12. A method for retrieving material expelled from the gastrointestinal tract, the method comprising: a. placing the device of claim 1 in a toilet bowl, b. defecating on top of the device, c. passing a retrieval wand through stool to retrieve the material, d. fragmenting the device, and e. flushing the fragmented device.

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