Internal Bladder Catheter with Sensor Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with neurogenic bladder, often due to paralysis, struggle to sense bladder fullness and urine volume, leading to inefficient catheterization schedules and increased risks of urinary tract infections and urethral damage, as they cannot accurately determine when to urinate.
Innovation Solution
A fully internal bladder management system incorporating a catheter with embedded sensors and a valve that can be controlled externally, allowing for wireless communication and power transmission, enabling users to monitor bladder metrics like pressure and volume, and control urine flow accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If intermittent catheterization is used to manage neurogenic bladder, then urine can be emptied from the bladder, but the frequency of catheterization increases and the risk of infections and urethral damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs sensors that continuously monitor bladder volume and pressure, providing real-time feedback to an external device. This feedback mechanism enables the system to detect when the bladder is full and when catheterization is needed, allowing for more accurate timing and reducing unnecessary catheterizations. The feedback loop helps optimize catheterization schedules based on actual bladder conditions rather than fixed time intervals, thereby reducing infection risk and urethral damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical intermittent catheterization process with an integrated system that includes sensors, wireless communication, and automated monitoring. The mechanical act of frequent catheterization is supplemented and optimized by electronic sensing and data transmission, reducing the need for manual intervention and lowering the risks associated with repeated mechanical insertion and removal of catheters.
2Reliability
If a time schedule is used to determine catheterization timing, then bladder emptying can be maintained, but efficiency decreases and psychological trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to provide real-time feedback on bladder volume and pressure, replacing fixed time schedules with dynamic, condition-based catheterization timing. This feedback enables more efficient scheduling by catheterizing only when actually needed, improving productivity while maintaining reliable bladder emptying.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the bladder management process to become more self-regulating through automated sensing and monitoring. The sensors and processing devices work autonomously to track bladder conditions and notify users or caregivers when catheterization is required, reducing the need for manual time-based scheduling and improving overall efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If multiple catheterizations are performed frequently, then bladder fullness can be managed, but the risk of urinary tract infections and false passage increases
Solution Approach 1:
Continuous monitoring through sensors provides real-time feedback on bladder volume and pressure, enabling precise determination of when catheterization is truly necessary. This reduces unnecessary catheterizations and the associated risks of infection and false passage while maintaining effective bladder fullness management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces repeated mechanical catheterization with an automated sensing and monitoring system that reduces the frequency and necessity of manual catheter insertion. The electronic monitoring system substitutes for some of the mechanical intervention, lowering the risks associated with frequent catheter manipulations.
4Reliability
If a fully internal valve device is used, then the need to remove and replace catheters decreases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated device: the catheter, valve mechanism, sensors for volume and pressure detection, and wireless communication capabilities are merged into one unified system. This integration reduces the need for separate components and frequent catheter replacements while managing the complexity through consolidation of functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The fully internal device performs multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as a catheter for urine drainage, a valve for flow control, a sensor array for monitoring bladder conditions, and a wireless communication device for data transmission. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate devices and frequent replacements, offsetting the increased complexity through consolidation of purposes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system reduces the frequency of catheterization, decreases the risk of infections, and enhances user comfort by providing accurate timing for urination, minimizing psychological trauma and urinary incontinence issues, while allowing for long-term use and minimally invasive insertion and removal.
Implementation Method 1
A sensor can be used to sense metrics that can be used to determine the amount of urine inside a person's bladder and/or the pressure of urine in the bladder
Implementation Method 2
The sensor can be coupled to a wireless transceiver that can transmit data from the sensor and receive control signals
Implementation Method 3
The valve can be fully internal to the body and the individual can open or close the valve from outside the body using an external actuator
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates generally to an extended use systems and devices for management of bladder function for people with urinary dysfunction. The system includes a catheter which can include a sensor that can determine bladder condition and a valve that can control fluid flow. The catheter can be placed inside the bladder using devices that facilitate insertion and extraction. The placement of the catheter can be done by a trained individual such as a patient, as well as a clinician, a nurse, or a caretaker. Once placed inside the bladder, the catheter can be fully-internal, meaning no portion of the catheter is visible from outside of the patient's body.