Magnetically Actuated Urethral Occluding Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for urinary incontinence, such as adult diapers and mechanical apparatus, face issues like urine odor, skin maladies, accidental leaks, tissue damage, and poor reliability, necessitating a more effective and durable surgically implanted lumen-occluding device.
Innovation Solution
A surgically implanted occluding assembly with a longitudinally split 'C'-shaped tube and a bi-stable spring, combined with magnetic and manual control, to selectively occlude the urethra, minimizing tissue stress and discomfort, and featuring a reduced component count for improved reliability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adult diapers are used to address incontinence, then absorbency and liquid holding properties are improved, but urine odor, skin maladies, accidental leaks, and environmental waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the incontinence management function from consumable diapers and transfers it to a permanent implanted device. The urethral occluding assembly with magnetically actuated sphincter removes the need for absorbent materials, eliminating urine odor, skin contact issues, and landfill waste while maintaining reliable incontinence control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the passive absorbent mechanical system of diapers with an active magnetically controlled mechanical sphincter. The magnetic actuation mechanism provides precise control over urethral occlusion, eliminating the harmful factors associated with disposable diapers while maintaining effectiveness.
2Ease of operation
If mechanical apparatus like clamps and compression bands are used, then selective urethral occlusion is achieved, but tissue damage and necrosis risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the control parameter from continuous mechanical compression to discrete magnetic actuation. The magnetically actuated sphincter provides selective occlusion through magnetic field application rather than continuous mechanical pressure, significantly reducing tissue damage and necrosis risk while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes direct mechanical compression with magnetic field-based control. The magnetically actuated mechanism achieves selective urethral occlusion without the elevated tissue damage risk associated with traditional clamps and compression bands, while maintaining ease of operation through remote magnetic control.
3Reliability
If fluid-inflated sphincters are used, then selective urethral occlusion is achieved, but device size and implant difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the inflation mechanism from the sphincter assembly, retaining only the essential magnetic actuation and sphincter muscle components. This reduction in device complexity and size maintains selective occlusion control while significantly reducing implant difficulty and device bulk.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the fluid inflation system with direct magnetic actuation of the sphincter muscle. This substitution eliminates the need for fluid reservoirs, pumps, and associated tubing, thereby reducing device size and implant complexity while maintaining reliable selective occlusion control.
4Reliability
If multiple components are used in the implanted assembly, then functional reliability is improved, but device complexity and surgical complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the magnetically actuated sphincter, occluding mechanism, and control components into a single integrated urethral occluding assembly. This consolidation maintains functional reliability through cohesive design while significantly reducing the number of separate components and surgical complexity compared to multi-component systems.
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
The solution effectively and selectively occludes the urethra for extended periods without causing tissue erosion or necrosis, providing intuitive control and reduced discomfort, while minimizing torsional stress and the risk of leaks.
Implementation Method 1
A magnetically actuated sphincter muscle is then applied to the musculoskeletal tissue of the penis. The magnetically actuated sphincter muscle is configured to occlude the urethra when in a first position and to allow fluid flow through the urethra when in a second position.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgically implanted occluding assembly comprises an implant body having a longitudinally split generally “C”-shaped cross-section tube circumscribing an anatomical lumen. In one embodiment, the surgically implanted occluding assembly is a male continence device selectively occluding a urethra. In some embodiments an occluding magnet is rigidly affixed with the implant body, and an external selective occlusion control assembly is used to selectively activate the surgically implanted occluding assembly. The external assembly has a magnet, and body supporting the magnet. The external selective occlusion control assembly is configured to be selectively placed and retained adjacent to the surgically implanted occluding assembly. In some embodiments, a bi-stable spring longer than and spanning the longitudinal split in the implant body has a first stable anatomical lumen occluding position curved into an interior of the longitudinal split, and a second stable anatomical lumen open position curved outward exterior of the longitudinally split tube.