643 results about "Urinary catheter" patented technology

A urinary catheter clip-on device applies surface acoustic waves of Rayleigh-Lamb and/or Love type to a urinary catheter for preventing biofilms on the catheter surfaces. The bacteria is forced to move relative to the vibrating catheter surface. The amplitudes of bacteria vibrations are in nanometer range. The relative motion of bacteria results in bacteria quorum sensing, and disrupts the bacteria attachment process. The method is preventive as surface acoustic waves create low acoustic energy and bacteria is not killed.

A closed system irrigation connector for use with both 3-way and 2-way urinary catheters is disclosed. The connector fits all urinary catheters and accepts continuous irrigation sets as well as all bulb, piston, and Toomey catheter tip irrigation syringes. The connector eliminates the use of catheter plugs and reduces the mess and leakage often associated with present urinary catheter irrigation procedures. The connector converts an open procedure to a closed system procedure protecting the patient from outside contamination to reduce urinary tract infections as well as the clinician from potentially infectious body fluids. It comprises an assembly of a plastic housing with an internal silicone diaphragm slit valve and a plastic entrance port that are unitized in assembly by sonic welding. The entrance port forms a tapered wedge lock engagement with irrigation sets as well as catheter tip irrigation syringes.

A urinary catheter assembly is disclosed having a catheter, a sheath enclosing an insertable portion of the catheter, and a free end partially open to allow fluid communication between the lumen of the sheath and an environment outside the sheath.

An apparatus for monitoring the intra-abdominal pressure of a hospitalized patient includes a urinary catheter connected to a urine valve providing selectable communication between a discharge end of the urinary catheter and either a drain or a fluid source. Preferably, the urine valve is adapted for remote actuation and has a housing adapted to resist patient discomfort from leg-valve contact. Plumbing structure desirably maintains fluid supply and drain conduits in a substantially parallel arrangement to assist routing those conduits between a patient's legs. When the urine valve is oriented to permit communication with the fluid source, an infusion pump may be used to infuse a known quantity of fluid through the urine valve and into the patient's bladder. A pressure transducer desirably is connected in-circuit to indicate the fluid's pressure. To facilitate the infusion process, an automatic flow control device may be included in a fluid supply path and arranged to permit repetitive operation of a syringe to inject a bolus of fluid into the patient's bladder. Subsequent to a period of time in which to make a pressure measurement, preferred embodiments of the urine valve automatically return to a bladder draining position.

A flexible direct vision fiberoptical viewing cable is placed within a urinary catheter with its tip located at a distal end of the catheter such that the surfaces of the distal end of both the viewing cable and the catheter are aligned so as to fit together in such a way as to form a composite smoothly curved surface to facilitate negotiating obstructions. The cable is maintained in this position within the catheter with the surfaces that comprise the tip of the instrument, maintained in alignment. The urethra is then viewed therethrough during all or part of the insertion procedure for observing and identifying obstructions that may be present and thereafter the fiberoptic cable is withdrawn while allowing the catheter to remain in place within the urethra.

Another form of instrument includes a working sheath and an obturator. A method is also described for facilitating endoscopic examination and surgical procedures through the sheath.

The present invention provides an assembly for the preparation of a medical device having a porous coating comprising hydrogen peroxide. Particularly interesting medical devices are catheters (such as urinary catheters), endoscopes, laryngoscopes, tubes for feeding, tubes for drainage, guide wires, condoms, urisheaths, barrier coatings e.g. for gloves, stents and other implants, extra corporeal blood conduits, membranes e.g. for dialysis, blood filters, devices for circulatory assistance, dressings for wound care, and ostomy bags. The coating is in particular a hydrophilic coating formed from cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone. In one embodiment, the assembly holds a dry catheter element in one compartment of a package and an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution in another compartment. The solution may also comprise stabilizers, e.g. chelators, and osmolality increasing agents. The catheter for insertion in the urethra is useful for the treatment, alleviation or prophylaxis of microbial infections such as urinary tract infections (UTI).

The invention provides an assembly for wetting a medical device, in particular a urinary catheter, with a fluid medium. The device is packed in a package which contains the fluid medium confined in a compartment. To ensure wetting of the device, the package is adapted to open the compartment and the package in one and the same opening action, preferably so that the compartment opens at the latest when the package opens. In that way, removal of the device from the package requires opening of the compartment and the device is therefore wetted automatically as part of the opening procedure.

A wetting apparatus (110) for wetting a hydrophilic urinary catheter (103) comprises a wetting receptacle (101) which defines a wetting fluid receiving area (102) for receiving the hydrophilic urinary catheter and a hydrophilic urinary catheter wetting fluid container (106) having a discharge outlet (126) movable from a closed position to an open position on application of a predetermined condition thereto to enable the wetting fluid to be discharged from the wetting fluid container. The wetting fluid container provided can be positioned in the wetting receptacle in an operational position in which at least the discharge outlet of the wetting fluid container is disposed within the bounds of the wetting receptacle, the wetting receptacle being so constructed and the wetting fluid container being so disposed relative to the wetting receptacle when in the operational position that application of the predetermined condition to the discharge outlet of the wetting fluid container when in the operational position enables the wetting fluid to be discharged into the wetting fluid receiving area for wetting of the hydrophilic urinary catheter.

An improved apparatus for monitoring the intra-abdominal pressure of a hospitalized patient includes a urinary catheter connected to a urine valve having selectable communication positions between a discharge end of the urinary catheter and either a drain or a fluid source. Preferably, the urine valve has a housing adapted to resist patient discomfort from leg-valve contact. One operable protective housing may be embodied as a separate tray component. Plumbing structure desirably maintains fluid supply and drain conduits in a substantially parallel arrangement to assist routing those conduits between a patient's legs. When the urine valve is oriented for communication to the fluid source, an infusion pump may be used to introduce a known quantity of fluid through the urine valve and into the patient's bladder where the fluid's pressure can be measured. Desirably, a double check valve is included in a fluid supply path and arranged to permit repetitive operation of a syringe to inject a bolus of fluid into the patient's bladder. Subsequent to making a pressure measurement, the urine valve is returned to the bladder draining position.

A catheter assembly suitable for intermittent catheterization comprising a cylindrical casing composed of two telescopically moveable parts one of which is connectable to and moveable with a piston which is rigidly connected to a urinary catheter. The interior of the cylindrical casing is filled with a lubricating, anesthetic, antiseptic liquid, or the like, which during catheterization is injected into the urethra and urinary bladder through the catheter under the effect of movement of the piston simultaneously with the insertion of the catheter into the urethra. The device is provided with an anti-infective cap which is inserted into the first third of the urethra and is used as a guide for inserting the catheter into the urethra without physical contact with the part if the urethra which is a harbor of infections.

A urinary catheter and companion packaging system for packaging sterile items utilized during a catheterization procedure are shown. A lightweight, flexible package contains a collection of ancillary materials and a catheter package. The catheter package houses a solution pouch, a protection sheath, and a catheter within the protection sheath. A saline solution is contained within the solution pouch, and is capable of being released from the solution pouch once external pressure breaks a weakened seam along one side of the solution pouch. A hydrophilic coating on the catheter activates once the saline solution contacts the exterior surface of the catheter. The catheter has an insertion tip that has been oven blasted and rounded in order to reduce the coefficient of friction. The overall length of the catheter is greater than about sixteen inches.

An apparatus for monitoring the intra-abdominal pressure of a patient includes a urinary catheter (102) connected to a urine valve (250) providing selectable communication between a discharge end of the urinary catheter (102) and either a drain (224) or a fluid source (104). Preferably, the urine valve (250) is adapted for remote actuation and has a housing adapted to resist patient discomfort from leg-valve (250) contact. Plumbing structure desirably maintains fluid supply (225) and drain (223) conduits in a substantially parallel arrangement to assist routing those conduits (225, 223) between a patient's legs. When the urine valve (250) is oriented to permit communication with the fluid source (104), an infusion pump (116′) may be used to infuse a known quantity of fluid through the urine valve (250) and into the patient's bladder (216). A pressure transducer (218) desirably is connected in-circuit to indicate the fluid's pressure and avoid pressure fluctuations induced by system components. To facilitate the infusion process, an automatic flow control device may be included in a fluid supply path (225) and arranged to permit repetitive operation of a syringe (116′) to inject a bolus of fluid into the patient's bladder (216). Subsequent to making a pressure measurement, the urine valve (250) is returned to the bladder (216) draining position.

Thermoplastic elastomers may be manufactured by mixing together plasticizing oil, a triblock copolymer and one or more additives, e.g., an antioxidant, an antimicrobial agent, and/or other additives, to form a mixture which is melted then cooled into the thermoplastic elastomer. During cooling the thermoplastic elastomer may be molded or otherwise formed into any number of articles including, but not limited to, prosthetic liners, prosthetic sleeves, external breast prostheses, breast enhancement bladders, wound dressing sheets, wound dressing pads, socks, gloves, malleolus pads, metatarsal pads, shoe insoles, urinary catheters, vascular catheters and balloons for medical catheters both vascular as well as urinary.