Handheld Catheter Placement Device with Guided Video Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for urinary catheter placement in patients with urinary retention, especially those with enlarged prostates or urethral strictures, are often painful, risk urethral trauma, and require specialized urology expertise, making them inefficient and risky.
Innovation Solution
A portable, hand-held medical device with a guide wire system that includes a video camera, illumination, fluid irrigation, and a steerable guide wire mechanism, allowing for guided insertion and visualization of the catheter placement process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If blind catheterization is used, then the procedure is simple and quick, but it causes pain, urethral trauma, and requires repeated attempts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide wire as an intermediary tool that precedes the catheter insertion. The guide wire with its stylet and control mechanism allows the operator to navigate through the urethra first, establishing a safe path before advancing the catheter. This intermediary approach eliminates blind catheterization attempts and reduces urethral trauma while maintaining procedural efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical blind catheterization method with a system that incorporates visual feedback and controlled mechanical guidance. The guide wire assembly with its control mechanism provides directed mechanical advancement rather than random blind insertion, substituting the old mechanical approach with a more controlled system that reduces trauma.
2Measurement precision
If direct visualization of the bladder is used, then catheter placement accuracy is improved, but the procedure becomes cumbersome and requires urology specialists
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the catheterization procedure into distinct phases: guide wire insertion and navigation, followed by catheter advancement over the guide wire. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, achieving accurate placement without requiring the full complexity of traditional direct visualization methods. The guide wire phase handles navigation while the catheter phase handles final placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide wire acts as an intermediary that simplifies the visualization requirement. Instead of requiring direct bladder visualization throughout the entire procedure, the guide wire provides tactile and visual feedback during navigation, then serves as a rail for the catheter to follow, reducing the overall procedural complexity while maintaining accuracy.
3Adaptability or versatility
If repeated blind catheterization attempts are made, then the procedure can be performed by any medical professional, but it increases pain and risk of injury
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wire assembly serves as a teaching tool and safety mechanism that can be operated by general medical professionals. The control mechanism provides tactile feedback and directional control that are easier to master than blind catheterization, allowing non-specialists to perform the procedure safely without requiring repeated attempts, thereby improving both accessibility and reliability.
4Loss of time
If traditional catheterization methods are used, then the procedure is quick, but it requires surgical intervention for complications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by using the guide wire with stylet to prepare and protect the urethral pathway before catheter insertion. The guide wire navigates the difficult anatomy first, creating a safe channel that prevents catheter deviation and potential injury. This preparatory step prevents complications that would otherwise require surgical intervention, maintaining quick procedure time while eliminating the need for subsequent surgery.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable hand-held medical device includes a body having a gun-type formation that includes a barrel. A guide wire device is housed in the body and is configured to advance and retract through the barrel. The guide wire device carries a bundled arrangement including a video system, an illumination system to support the video system, a fluid irrigation line, and a guide wire mechanism. The bundled arrangement is packaged as a unit in an insertion tube. The tip section of the insertion tube incorporates a camera, a light source, and a fluid irrigation port. A catheter is disposed at the end of the barrel, so that during operation the guide wire device passes through the catheter lumen. The combination guide wire device and catheter enter the urinary tract and perform a bladder evacuation process.