199 results about "Urine flow" patented technology

A device and method for treatment of urinary stress incontinence. At least one electrode is implanted in a pelvic muscle of a patient. A control unit receives signals indicative of abdominal stress in the patient and responsive thereto applies an electrical waveform to the electrode which stimulates the muscle to contract, so as to inhibit involuntary urine flow through the patient's urethra due to the stress.

A magnetic actuation urethral valve is adapted for inserting into the urethra of a patient who suffering from urinary incontinence in order to recover control of urine flow. The valve member is driven by a magnet rotor which is magnetically actuated by a rotating magnetic field generated from a controller outside the body. There is also an actuation device for the user to discharge by inserting an indwelling catheter into the valve in case the valve does not work for any reason.

Methods for increasing urine flow are disclosed, comprising administration of an effective amount of GLP-1, an exendin, or an exendin or GLP-1 agonist. Methods for increasing urinary sodium excretion and decreasing urinary potassium concentration are also disclosed. The methods are useful for treating conditions or disorders associated with toxic hypervolemia, such as renal failure, congestive heart failure, nephrotic syndrome, cirrhosis, pulmonary edema, and hypertension. The present invention also relates to methods for inducing an inotropic response comprising administration of an effective amount of GLP-1, an exendin, or an exendin or GLP-1 agonist. These methods are useful for treating conditions or disorders that can be alleviated by an increase in cardiac contractility such as congestive heart failure. Pharmaceutical compositions for use in the methods of the invention are also disclosed.

A method and apparatus is provided for heating or cooling at least a selected portion of a patient's body. The method begins by inserting a catheter through the urethra and into the bladder of the patient. A heated or chilled fluid is conducted through a supply lumen of the catheter and into the bladder. The fluid is evacuated from the bladder through a return lumen of the catheter. Finally, a quantity of urine is monitored which flows out of the bladder and through the return lumen of the catheter. The rate of fluid flowing through the supply lumen of the catheter may be adjusted in a manner that is based at least in part on the monitored quantity of urine flowing out of the bladder.

An automatic urine disposal device has a urine collecting pad, vacuum pump, and urine tank. In the urine collecting pad, the top sheet comes in contact with the wearer's skin, the hydrophilic sheet is disposed on the bottom of the top sheet, and the urine absorbent sheet is disposed at the bottom. When discharged urine flows in the top sheet, the hydrophilic sheet widely diffuses urine to saturate its entire surface and then becomes non-breathable. As the vacuum pump vacuums the air from the urine tank, urine is directed from a urine drainage port of the urine collecting pad via a urine drainage tube to the urine tank which is a sealed container.

An indwelling catheter is positioned in a urinary tract to drain urine from the bladder to a position distally adjacent to a sphincter muscle. A balloon of the catheter is inflated through an inflation tube extending through the urinary tract. A coiled section of the inflation tube contacts the constriction caused by the sphincter muscle. The balloon and the coiled section resist movement of the indwelling catheter while still permitting natural urination. The indwelling catheter is inserted by an insertion tool which is separably connected to the catheter. Once the indwelling catheter is positioned, the tool is disconnected and withdrawn from the urinary tract. Risks of blood clots obstructing the flow of urine through the indwelling catheter immediately following a surgical procedure on the prostate gland are avoided by flushing fluid through the insertion tool and the catheter to clear an internal urine flow passageway in the catheter.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for maintaining urine flow during and after urological procedures. The invention includes a stent for long term insertion into a patient's urinary tract, a Foley catheter which is used to support the stent during placement, a positioning shaft which is used to position the stent with respect to the catheter, and a protective sheath that retains these components in place during insertion of the stent. Alternatively, a Foley catheter with two balloons may be used in place of the stent positioner, with the stent being accurately positioned with one of the two balloons being surrounded by the stent.

The disclosed system improves urine flow by increasing the inside diameter of the urethra going through the prostate by eroding the urethral wall, rather than by reducing the prostate volume. This is done by a specially designed IRE electrode, which limits the penetration depth of the electric field to the urethral wall.

The invention discloses a urine volume monitor. A bracket comprises a hook for hanging a drainage bag; the hook is provided with a weighing sensor which is used for transmitting information after the urine is weighed in the drainage bag to the monitor; the bracket comprises a urine detection box which can be opened or closed and can buckle a conduit in the box; a photodiode and a photoelectric detector are arranged in the urine detection box; and light emitted from the photodiode transmits through the conduit and urine flowing in the conduit in real time, then is collected by the photoelectric detector and is transmitted to the monitor. According to the urine volume monitor, the urine volume is calculated by using a urine refraction proportion analytical method, and a measuring device is not contacted with the urine when the urine is measured, so that the urine measuring accuracy is improved, the antijamming capability is strong; and besides, urine volume data of patients can be displayed or output in real time, and urine volume history information can be reviewed, the requirement of clinicians on the urine volume information dynamic monitoring is met, and the working efficiency is improved.

A system for initiating urine flow in intraurethral bladder control devices having a housing, a flow lumen, a valve biased to close, a distal end disposed near the urethral meatus, and a proximal end disposed near the bladder. The system includes an actuator device to open the valve. One intraurethral bladder control device has a higher velocity flow region near the valve distal end, such that the Bernoulli effect generates a negative pressure on the valve, keeping the valve in an open position once urine flow commences. One valve includes a spring biased stopper in the urine flow lumen. One actuator device is a suction device adapted to mate to the intraurethral device distal end and capable of pulling the stopper into the open position. Suction devices include plungers, syringes, and squeezable bulbs. Another actuator device includes a magnet capable of moving a magnetically responsive stopper. Yet another actuator device includes an elongate member disposed within the device housing and operably coupled to the stopper. Grasping and manipulating a free distal end of the elongate member causes the stopper to open and initiate urine flow.

The invention relates to a urine flow monitoring and control device and a matched pipeline thereof and belongs to medical apparatus and instruments which are used for performing urination control, urine volume monitoring and urine collection on a patient with a retention catheter. The urine flow monitoring and control device and the matched pipeline are relatively independent. The switching of the urine volume monitoring mode can be automatically achieved through a flow and velocity measurement module and a gravity sensor according to the different clinical requirements. Meanwhile the dynamic monitoring is performed on the bladder pressure, closing or opening of the pipeline is automatically controlled by a cut-off valve according to the obtained pressure of urine in the bladder under different filling conditions through calculation, the mode is similar to the urine retention and urination mode of a normal human body basically, and accordingly the patient can obtain the good maintenance and exercise during the catheter retention period and the incidence rate of adverse reactions such as the urinary dysfunction and the like caused by the catheter retention can be greatly avoided.

An intermittent urinary catheter assembly (20) comprises a catheter tube (22) having a proximal insertion end (24) and a distal end (26) remote from the proximal insertion end and a lumen (28) which extends from at or near the proximal insertion end to the distal end for draining urine from a human bladder. The intermittent urinary catheter assembly includes a urine discharge sleeve (34) associated with the discharge opening (30) of the catheter tube, and the urine discharge sleeve has a compact stowed configuration and is extendable into a deployed configuration for directing urine flow. Alternatively, an adapter assembly (50″) comprises a fitting or nipple (52″) having a urine passageway for insertion into a funnel (40″) associated with a urine discharge end of an intermittent urinary catheter, and a discharge funnel (42″) associated with the fitting or nipple, and an extendable urine discharge sleeve (34″) within the discharge funnel.

A monitoring system and method are presented for use in monitoring a condition of a patient's urinary system. The monitoring system comprises an acoustic assembly comprising at least one acoustic receiver adapted for receiving acoustic signals during a patient's urination and generating data indicative thereof. The monitoring system also includes a control unit that is in communication with said acoustic assembly. The control unit is configured and operable for analyzing said generated data indicative of the continuously received acoustic signals during a patient's urination, obtaining a time variation of the acoustic signal during the urination and determining a corresponding spectral data of the acoustic signal. The control unit further analyzes the spectral data and, upon detecting at least one first signal peak corresponding to a condition of turbulence in the urine flow, determining a relation between said first signal peak and a second signal peak corresponding to a condition of laminar urine flow. Based on said relation, the control unit determines the condition of a patient's low urinary system and generating output data indicative thereof.

A device for collecting urine flowing from a penis in such a manner that the urine can be transported from the device as the urine is being collected. The device includes a flexible layer of porous material; flexible wicking material disposed on one side of the layer of porous material; and a flexible layer of impermeable material secured to the periphery of the other side of the layer of porous material and so covering the other side of the layer of porous material as to define a chamber between the layer of porous material and the layer of impermeable material. Urine can be collected within the chamber for transport. The chamber has a port for receiving a tube so that urine collected within the chamber can be transported from the chamber by being drawn from the chamber when a partial vacuum is applied within the chamber via the received tube. The combination of the wicking material, the layer of porous material and the layer of impermeable material is so dimensioned and configured as to provide a receptacle for receiving the head of a penis.

The present invention generally pertains to an apparatus and a method for uroflowmetry. Uroflowmetry can generally be defined as the collection and measurement of a patient's urination for the purpose of determining urine flow data that are necessary to analyze the patient's urination by comparing the patient's urine flow data to standardized urine flow data of healthy individuals. The present invention allows medical professionals to non-invasively diagnose a patient's urination by collecting, measuring and computing urine flow data to determine if any medical conditions and symptoms that affect urine flow are present. The within invention is designed and constructed in such a manner as to allow for the collection and measurement of urination to be done quickly, easily and at a reduced cost.