37 results about "Urethral orifice" patented technology

The present invention relates to a female undergarment for assisted urination comprising panties (1) or a belt that, by means of elastic securing means, integrates and holds an ergonomic reservoir (3) provided with an outlet duct (4) extending to the outside of the panties (1). The reservoir (3) has a mouth that can be oriented towards the urethral opening of the user.

The utility model discloses a catheter device with a catheter easy to replace. The catheter device comprises a double-cavity catheter body and a catheter replacing guide wire. A first channel and a second channel are arranged inside the double-cavity tube body, a first tube head communicated with the first channel and a second tube head communicated with the second channel are formed at the upper end of the double-cavity tube body, a urination hole communicated to the first channel is formed in the outer wall close to the lower end of the double-cavity tube body, and a guide wire passing hole is formed in the bottom of the double-cavity tube body. The lower part of the outer wall is provided with an air guide hole for communicating the second channel with the inflating balloon; hemispherical soft heads are arranged at the upper end and the lower end of the tube replacement guide wire, and the outer diameter of the soft heads is equal to the outer diameter of the tube replacement guide wire. The double-cavity catheter has the advantages that under the guidance of the catheter replacement guide wire, the lower end of the double-cavity catheter body can be driven to be smoothly pushed into the bladder of a patient through the urethral orifice of the patient, catheter indwelling blocking caused by urethral bending and the like in the catheter indwelling process is not likely to happen, and in other words, the catheter indwelling speed and efficiency of the double-cavity catheter body can be greatly improved by arranging the catheter replacement guide wire.

The invention discloses a sampling device for urinary surgery nursing, and relates to the field of urinary nursing appliances, the sampling device comprises a holding cup, the front end of the outer upper end of the holding cup is provided with an overflow port, the middle of the bottom of the holding cup is vertically provided with a first through hole in a penetrating manner, and one side of the lower end of the first through hole is provided with a first opening and closing sheet; the upper end of the inner side of the holding cup is provided with a folding plastic cup, the end, close to the overflow port, of the outer portion of the folding plastic cup is provided with a plurality of urine outlet holes, and the top of the folding plastic cup is provided with a clamping ring. The top lower inclined structure is attached to a female urethral orifice to prevent overflow, when a male uses the device, the state of the urine cup can be adjusted by lifting the pinching piece, the urine cup and the folding plastic cup can be separated if the urine cup is obstructed, and the device can meet sampling requirements of users with different genders according to male and female use postures only by holding the holding cup.

The utility model discloses a male patient post -urinary surgery anti -extrusion frame, including catheter and catheterization hole, the end outer wall of catheter has a plurality of catheterization holes, the upper outer wall of catheter is slid connected with air bag no.

The utility model relates to a urine test sampling device which comprises a sampling test tube and a urine receiving funnel, and further comprises a connecting cover detachably connected to the sampling test tube, an extension hose arranged on the connecting cover and used for conveying urine into the sampling test tube, and the urine receiving funnel connected with the other end of the extension hose. Through the arrangement of the connecting cover, the extension hose is connected with the sampling test tube, and through the arrangement of the extension hose, the sampling test tube can be moved into the sight range of a patient to receive urine, so that the situation that if the sampling test tube is directly placed at the urethral orifice of the patient to receive the urine, the sight is blocked easily, and the urine is collected is prevented. A patient is difficult to accurately judge whether the urine in the sampling test tube meets the sampling requirement or not; through the arrangement of the tube body and the sealing cover, disassembly and cleaning are facilitated, and after sampling is completed, the cross-shaped drain valve is used for closing the drain outlet, so that urine is stored in the tube body, and inspection and transportation of the urine are facilitated.

The utility model discloses a novel anti-pollution urine collecting device which comprises a collecting bag which is used for collecting and containing urine and is made of plastics, and a urine inlet which is approximately oval is formed in the front face area of the upper portion of the collecting bag. The periphery of the urine inlet is provided with an annular attaching piece which is connected with the collecting bag into a whole, can be plastically deformed and is attached to the periphery of the urethral orifice, the upper surface and the inner ring surface of the attaching piece are provided with double-sided adhesive tapes, and the outer edges of the double-sided adhesive tapes extend to the upper surface of the collecting bag outside the edge of the attaching piece. When the anti-pollution urine collecting device is used, rear leakage can be effectively prevented, urine can be safely and conveniently collected into a specimen bottle in a pollution-free mode, it is guaranteed that residual urine is not leaked after the anti-pollution urine collecting device is used, and environment pollution is effectively prevented.

Embodiments are directed to a multi-layered urine capture device suitable for collecting and transporting urine away from the body. The urine capture device can be positioned adjacent a urethra of a female user. The urine capture device can include a plurality of layers, for example, one or more fluid permeable layers, one or more absorbent layers, one or more hydrophobic layers, one or more wicking layers, one or more fluid impermeable layers, and other suitable layers.

The novel female urinary catheterization pot comprises a pot body, a urinary catheterization opening is formed in one side of the top of the pot body, a clamping assembly is arranged on the outer circle wall of the urinary catheterization opening, a urinary catheter is arranged on the clamping assembly in a clamped mode, a urinary catheterization head is detachably connected to the end of the urinary catheter, a pot handle is arranged in the center of the top of the pot body, and the top of the pot body is provided with a handle. One end of the catheter is in threaded connection with the catheterization head, the other end of the catheter is matched with the catheterization opening in an inserted mode, the catheter is locked to the outer circular wall of the catheterization opening through the clamping assembly, then connection of the catheterization head, the catheter and the catheterization opening is conveniently achieved, and then the catheterization head is placed on one side of a urethral orifice of a bedridden patient. Urine is received through the catheterization head and then collected into the pot body through diversion of the catheter, the urine is prevented from being scattered to a bed, the urine collection and diversion effects are further improved through cooperation of the catheterization head and the catheter, and therefore the comfort and the satisfaction degree of a patient are improved.

Aspects of the present invention relate to an apparatus and method for channelling urine away from a body. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a non-invasive device for channelling the flow of urine away from a vaginal urethral orifice of a user, reducing or preventing the contact of urine with vaginal or perineal wounds. Certain embodiments of the present invention may provide improved vaginal and perineal wound management and reduced pain during urination after gynaecological surgery, including during postpartum urination. Certain embodiments of the present invention allow for improved ease of collection of urine samples.

The utility model discloses a double -layer paper diaper, this paper diaper includes trousers body and sets up the absorption structure in trousers body inboard, and absorption structure includes first absorption core body and is located the second absorption core body of first absorption core body wearer body side, first absorption core body is integral with trousers body, and second absorption core body is equipped with a strip of along longitudinal extension's elastic component in the two side edges adjacent with wearer thigh root each, and elastic component applies transverse contraction force to the second absorption core body center area when paper diaper surrounds the waist leg of wearer and is in the stretching state, makes the second absorption core body relative to first absorption core body form the bulge to the surface of wearer, thereby the urethral orifice position of fitting. Through above setting, paper diaper can effectively reduce the risk of urine leakage, and after using, remove second absorption core body, continue using first absorption core body, prolong the use time of single piece paper diaper, reduce the use cost.

An external urine collection device for collecting urine excreted by a user through the user's external urethral orifice includes a sleeve and a cup that defines a collection chamber and a urine outlet. The sleeve can be attached to an area around the user's external urethral orifice by an adhesive. The cup can be releasably coupled to the sleeve. Pull tabs on the cup and sleeve can be gipped and pulled apart to separate the cup from the sleeve. The sleeve can include a finger gap so that a caregiver can hold the sleeve securely during installation of the sleeve, assembly of the cup, and detachment of the cup from the sleeve. The cup can include a site window for viewing the user's external urethral orifice and surrounding anatomy without removing the cup. A related system, method of assembly, and method of use is provided.

The invention provides ultrasonic imaging equipment and a pelvic floor section image generation method. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a volume region with a preset thickness from three-dimensional volume data of a pelvic floor; carrying out thick-layer imaging on the volume region to obtain a thick-layer image of the minimal fissure section of the levator ani muscle; further measuring the area of the minimum fracture of the levator ani muscle according to the thick-layer image; and / or detecting the levator ani muscle and the urethral orifice in the thick-layer image, and measuring the distance from the urethral orifice to the levator ani muscle on the leftmost side and / or the distance from the urethral orifice to the levator ani muscle on the rightmost side according to the detected levator ani muscle and the urethral orifice; and / or extracting the contour of the levator ani muscle or the minimum crack hole of the levator ani muscle from the thick-layer image, and calculating the distance between the upper and lower radial lines of the levator ani muscle and / or the distance between the left and right radial lines of the levator ani muscle according to the contour. Therefore, an ultrasonic doctor only needs to complete three-dimensional volume data acquisition of the pelvic floor, the thick-layer image of the minimal fracture section of the levator ani muscle and an automatic measurement result can be obtained, the operation is simple and convenient, and the working efficiency of the ultrasonic doctor is improved.

The utility model belongs to the technical field of medical instruments, and particularly relates to a leakage-proof urinal which comprises a storage device, a connector and a collector. One end of the connector is communicated with the memory, and the other end of the connector is communicated with the collector; the collector comprises a collecting cavity; a water absorbing layer is arranged on the inner wall of the collecting cavity; one end, far away from the connector, of the collecting cavity is gradually expanded; the collecting cavity is a cavity with a collecting opening and a connecting opening; the collecting opening and the connecting opening are located in the two ends of the collecting cavity respectively. And the connector is communicated with the connecting hole. The urine collector has the beneficial effects that 1, during use, the collecting cavity covers the urethral orifice of a patient, so that the urine of the patient can be collected; the inner wall of the collection cavity is provided with the water absorption layer, urine leakage is effectively prevented, and pollution is reduced.

A perineum control device configured to apply pressure to the perineum of a wearer for the purpose of controlling various conditions including leakages of body fluids from the urethral, anal, and vaginal openings. The device includes one or more front and rear retractors having a retractable cord supporting a bridge or band member that is positioned against a wearer's perineum in order to exert a constant and predetermined upward compression force, thereby increasing the perineum pressure above an abdominal or bladder pressure preventing or mitigating leakages and / or prolapses.

A system suitable for collecting and transporting urine away from the body of a person or animal may include a urine collecting assembly having a body, a sealing flange, and a reservoir within the body and partially defined by the sealing flange. The sealing flange can define an opening such that the interior of the body is accessible via the opening. A peripheral edge of the opening can be configured to seal around a shaft of a penis of a user disposed through the opening. The urine collecting assembly can also include an outlet in fluidic communication with the reservoir. The urine collecting assembly can be arranged such that a fluid can flow into the body from the urethral opening of the user's penis, collect in the reservoir, and flow out of the outlet.

This invention belongs to the field of urinary catheter technology in medical devices, and discloses a disposable urinary catheter that prevents urine residue and leakage. The catheter includes a catheter body, one end of which is provided with a cap. A double-fish-shaped balloon and an elastic edge are disposed between the catheter body and the cap. The other end of the catheter body is provided with a drainage head and a balloon injection head. The double-fish-shaped balloon has a symmetrical double-balloon structure, and each balloon is connected to a corresponding injection end. The injection end is disposed inside the balloon injection head and is connected to the corresponding balloon through an internal tubing within the catheter body. This invention, through the double-balloon structure with its independently connected injection ends and internal tubing, allows the elastic edge to expand outward during balloon inflation, forming an inverted cone-shaped structure with a top diameter larger than the bottom diameter. This ensures a tight seal between the elastic edge and the urethral orifice, solving the leakage problem caused by poor fit in traditional urinary catheters.

The novel urinary catheter comprises a drainage tube, a urinary catheterization head is arranged at the end of the drainage tube, a liquid outlet tube is fixedly connected to the end, away from the urinary catheterization head, of the drainage tube, a water injection tube is fixedly connected to one side of the outer wall of the liquid outlet tube, and a water injection hard valve is fixedly connected to the end of the water injection tube. A developing line is arranged in the drainage tube in a penetrating mode, an umbrella-shaped air bag is arranged on the outer wall of the end, close to the catheterization head, of the drainage tube, and a liquid outlet is formed in the outer end of the liquid outlet tube. The drainage tube, the water injection tube and the umbrella-shaped air bag are matched with one another, the umbrella-shaped air bag is designed and can be tightly attached to the bladder wall and the urethral orifice after water injection, urine leakage is effectively blocked, meanwhile, bacteria are prevented from entering the bladder along the catheter in a retrograde mode through a unique sealing structure, and the risk of urinary system infection is greatly reduced.

The catheter with the self-flushing function comprises a guide-in part, a balloon fixing part, a self-flushing support and a urine guide-out part. The leading-in part and the balloon fixing part are arranged at the far end of the autologous flushing support, the balloon is fixedly arranged at the urethral orifice after being expanded, and the urine leading-out part is arranged at the near end of the autologous flushing support. A flushing drainage mechanism is arranged on the surface of the autologous flushing support, the autologous flushing support is arranged in the urethra, urine flows along the flushing drainage mechanism after entering the guide-in part through the urine guide-in opening, the urethra wall wrapping the outer side of the autologous flushing support is flushed, and then the urine is discharged out of the body after being stored through the urine guide sheath. The self-flushing stent not only can play a good supporting role on the urethral wall, but also can guide urine to perform self-flushing on the urethral wall, timely flushes away secretions and bacteria on the urethral wall, prevents fluid retention, reduces cell colonization opportunities, constructs a good urethral wound recovery environment, prevents urethral infection, and accelerates wound healing.

The utility model discloses an air bag catheter with a fixer, which comprises a catheter, one side of the catheter is provided with a liquid inlet / outlet, and one side of the catheter close to a urine outlet is further provided with a liquid medicine inlet pipe; an air bag tube is mounted on the outer side of the catheter, and a positioning air bag is mounted on the side, close to the liquid inlet and outlet, of the air bag tube; a fixing mechanism is installed on the outer side of the air bag pipe. The urethral catheter fixing device has the advantages that the insertion depth of the urethral catheter can be limited, the situation that the feeling of a patient is affected due to excessive insertion of the urethral catheter is avoided, the urethral catheter fixing device can be matched with a double-J tube or a single-J tube, a long suture can be fixed to the tail end of the bladder side of the double-J tube or the single-J tube, the tail end of the suture can be exposed out of a urethral orifice, and the suture is fixed to the mounting ring. When the double-J tube or the single-J tube needs to be pulled out, the double-J tube or the single-J tube can be pulled out by dragging the line, operation under anesthesia and cystoscopy are avoided, in addition, the double-J tube or the single-J tube can be matched with the ureteral catheter, and the ureteral catheter can be fixed to the mounting ring through the line and is prevented from falling off.

The invention relates to the technical field of medical apparatus and instruments, and discloses a urine sample collection device for a clinical laboratory, the urine sample collection device comprises a supporting bottom plate, the middle part of the upper surface of the supporting bottom plate is fixedly connected with a collection block, and the collection block is internally provided with an adjusting assembly. The driving motor is started to drive the second rotating shaft to rotate, and after the second rotating shaft rotates, the sampling support plate presents an inclined angle through a series of transmission, so that the radian of urine is controlled, the initial horizontal speed of the urine can be inhibited in the sampling process, and the sampling accuracy is improved. Skin debris, clothing fibers or environmental pollutants are prevented from entering a sample due to splashing, meanwhile, a vertical drop point can be optimized during female sampling, the contact between a urethral orifice and the inner wall of a container is reduced, the risk of mixing vaginal secretion or vulva pollutants is reduced, and when elderly patients are sampled, the sampling time is shortened, and the sampling efficiency is improved. Therefore, cross infection and health risks caused by the problems of vision decline and hand flexibility weakening of the elderly patients can be avoided.

The utility model discloses a ureter tractor. The ureter tractor comprises a fixed seat and a ureter body, one side of the fixing base is covered with a pressing cover base through a locking hinge mechanism, tightening pieces are arranged on the two sides of the fixing base, corresponding sliding grooves are formed in one side of the pressing cover base and one side of the fixing base, an adjusting base wraps the outer side of one end of the ureter body, and the adjusting base is arranged between the two sliding grooves in a sliding mode through a plurality of limiting pieces at the same time. And an adjusting assembly is arranged between the pressing cover seat and the adjusting seat. According to the ureter, the tensioned ureter body can be stably positioned to ensure that the ureter body is effectively dragged for a long time, so that the situation that the tensioned ureter body is separated and restores to the original shape can be prevented, and the problem of abdominal skin allergy of part of patients after being dragged for a long time can be solved; moreover, the tightness of the ureter body can be effectively adjusted, so that the problem that the patient suffers from serious urethral orifice pain and discomfort or glans penis skin damage is solved, and the comfort of the patient can be conveniently improved.

An example fluid collection assembly includes a fluid collection assembly defining an opening. The fluid collection assembly includes a fluid impermeable barrier defining at least a portion of a chamber and at least one porous material disposed in the chamber. The opening and the chamber of the fluid collection assembly are configured to receive at least a portion of a penis (e.g., at least the urethral opening of the penis). The fluid collection assembly also includes a skirt. The skirt is configured to attach the fluid collection assembly to an individual. To facilitate attachment to the individual, the skirt may exhibit a high flexibility. The high flexibility allows the skirt to be comfortably attached to the skin about the penis even when the size and / or topography of the skin about the penis varies and / or changes due to movement of the individual.

The utility model provides a kind of bladder pressure measuring air bag catheter, it is related to medical instrument technical field.The utility model discloses a catheter body, primary combination pipe and secondary combination pipe, the outside of positioning ring is provided with two groups of extension plate, the one end of positioning ring is provided with secondary air bag body, the inside through of secondary air bag body is provided with connecting pipe.By pulling the rubber material extension plate outside positioning ring, the internal diameter of positioning ring is changed, positioning ring can be moved outside catheter body, it is convenient to adjust the use position of secondary air bag body outside catheter body according to use requirement, positioning ring can be positioned in catheter body outside after adjusting position of secondary air bag body, when inflating inside connecting pipe using external inflation assembly, secondary air bag body can be inflated and expanded, urethral orifice position is blocked and limited, effectively avoid catheter sliding into urethra and other conditions, effectively reduce the risk of bladder infection.

The utility model belongs to the technical field of urinary nursing, and particularly relates to a flushing device which comprises a base, a lying plate is fixedly arranged on the top face of the base, a through groove is formed in the position, corresponding to the lower portion of a waist and hip placing section arranged on the lying plate, of the base, a flow guide seat is fixedly arranged in the through groove, and a connecting pipe is installed on one side of the bottom end of the flow guide seat in a penetrating mode. The connecting pipe is connected with a waste liquid box, a water pump is arranged on one side of a disinfectant box arranged on one side of the waste liquid box, a hose arranged at one end of the water pump is connected with a movable plate, the movable plate is slidably arranged above the waist and hip placing section, and a spray head and an ultraviolet disinfection lamp are arranged on the bottom face, facing the waist and hip placing section, of the movable plate. The problem that when urethra flushing is carried out on a supine position and a lithotomy position of a patient, waste liquid easily and slowly flows into a gluteal cleft from a urethral orifice along the natural slope of skin, and consequently clothes and a sickbed below the clothes are polluted in a large area is solved.

The utility model provides an integrated urine collection tube, including seal cover, urinary catheter cover, wide mouth collector and urine specimen test tube, seal cover includes top cover and connecting ring, connecting ring is provided in the top cover, connecting ring and top cover enclose a fixed groove, urinary catheter cover is embedded in fixed groove, and urinary catheter cover and connecting ring detachable snap joint; meanwhile, the urine sample test tube and the urine tube cover can be detachably connected under the condition that the urine sample test tube and the urine tube cover are independently detached, so that the urine sample test tube is conveniently covered with the urine tube cover to form a conventional urine tube structure when the urine sample test tube is independently used; the wide-mouth collector is of a middle through structure, the diameter of the first end of the wide-mouth collector is larger than that of the second end of the wide-mouth collector, the first end is detachably connected with the top cover, and the second end is detachably connected with the opening end of the urine sample test tube, so that the urethral orifice of a patient is more easily aligned, and the urine taking convenience is improved; and better medical experience is provided for patients, especially child patients.

The present application relates to the technical field of catheter fixing, and provides a urine leakage prevention catheter fixing device and an intelligent nursing system thereof, which comprises a fixing module made of medical silica gel material in a ring structure, has excellent flexibility, biocompatibility and antibacterial property, and can avoid stimulating urethral mucosa and surrounding skin; the inner diameter of the ring structure is self-adaptively adjusted through an embedded elastic belt and a buckle type adjusting mechanism; a urine leakage prevention module is integrated at one end of the fixing module facing the urethral orifice and is composed of a ring-shaped sealing pad and a leakage prevention ring; the ring-shaped sealing pad is made of medical water-absorbing and swelling cotton material, is attached to the skin around the urethral orifice, and can quickly absorb a small amount of exuded urine. Through medical-grade material and scientific structure design, the urine leakage prevention catheter fixing device realizes double protection of stable fixing of the catheter and prevention of urine leakage. The fixing module has good adaptability and anti-skid performance, and can avoid displacement and slipping of the catheter; the urine leakage prevention module can quickly absorb exuded urine and block diffusion, and reduces the risk of skin irritation and inflammation.

The male urethral pathogen sampling assembly comprises a sampler and a positioner, the two ends of the sampler are the near end and the far end, the sampler is composed of a straight rod and a flexible membrane bag, the periphery of the straight rod is sleeved with the flexible membrane bag, the near end of the flexible membrane bag is fixed, and the far end of the straight rod is provided with a guide-in head; the positioner is provided with a buckling groove for containing the glans penis and a through opening corresponding to the urethral orifice, and can be arranged outside the glans penis in a sleeving mode so that the far end of the sampler can penetrate through and be placed into the urethra. The far end of the flexible membrane bag is of an outward turning structure, an inner side membrane sleeving part and an outer side membrane turning part are formed, and the membrane turning part is connected with the positioner. During sampling, the membrane turning part is gently attached to the inner wall of the urethra, and when the straight rod is pushed, the flexible membrane bag is only stably turned and rolled towards the near end relative to the straight rod. The flexible membrane bag is used as a contact carrier and matched with precise positioning and fulcrum effects of the positioner, mechanical injury of mucous membranes is eradicated, meanwhile, direct contact between medical staff and the glans penis is isolated, pain of a patient is relieved, the matching degree is improved, and sampling failure is avoided.

The utility model discloses a urinary catheterization box which comprises a box body, a box cover and a containing and replacing structure. The box cover is installed on the box body, and the storage and replacement structure is installed in the box body. The storage and replacement structure comprises a storage device, a rotary folding device and a detachable fixing device; the storage device comprises a first limiting plate, a second limiting plate, a spring, a positioning block and a pressing cap; the first limiting plate is installed in the box body, the second limiting plate is installed on the first limiting plate, the spring is installed on the box body, the positioning block is installed on the spring, and the pressing cap is installed on the positioning block. The utility model relates to the technical field of medical treatment, and has the following beneficial effects of simple structure, convenience in finding a urethral orifice, convenience in operation, convenience in operation in different heights and postures, convenience in storage, taking at any time and low cost.

The urine cup comprises a cup body, a cup cover and a sterilized cotton ball, the cup body comprises a tube body and a conical plate, the conical plate is arranged in the tube body, a centrifugal cavity is formed between the conical plate and an upper port of the tube body, and a storage cavity is formed between the conical plate and a lower port of the tube body; the cup cover comprises a cover body and an inoculating loop, the cover body is in threaded connection with the upper end opening, and the inoculating loop is connected with the cover body and located in the centrifugal cavity; the sterilized cotton ball is located in the storage cavity, a detachable sealing body is arranged on the lower port, and the sterilized cotton ball is used for cleaning the periphery of the urethral orifice, so that sampling pollution is reduced, and the reliability of an inspection result is guaranteed.

The invention relates to the technical field of nursing underpants, and particularly discloses intelligent underpants which comprise an underpants body, a waistband is arranged on the waist of the underpants body, a power supply controller module and a drainage and cleaning mechanism are fixed on the waistband, and the cleaning mechanism is provided with a detachable upper cover A, a water storage shell and a micro pump A; the drainage mechanism comprises a detachable upper cover B, a waste liquid shell and a micro pump B. The trouser body is connected with the urethral orifice empty box, provided with a flushing hole set and connected with the micro pump A through a thin pipe set, and the catheter and the drainage thin pipe are connected with the micro pump B through connectors. According to the device, urine is actively collected through the catheter and the drainage mechanism, the female urethral orifice and anus are flushed through the combination of the cleaning mechanism and the flushing hole set, waste liquid is collected to the waste liquid shell through the water absorption layer, and urination and sanitation cleaning are achieved. The water storage shell and the waste liquid shell are of a fast detachable structure, and water supplementing and waste liquid treatment are facilitated. Electric energy of the pump body is supplied by the power supply controller module, a micro solid-state battery is selected as a battery, the energy density is high, long endurance can be provided for equipment, and stable operation of functions is guaranteed.