Retractable-Sheath Urinary Catheter for Hygienic Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intermittent urinary catheters face challenges in preventing bacterial contamination during insertion and use, leading to increased urinary tract infection risk, and are difficult to insert due to the need for manual pinching and bending of the tube.
Innovation Solution
A urinary catheter structure featuring a retractable sheath and a switch mechanism that allows for zero-contact operation, reducing direct hand contact and incorporating a lubricating coating to facilitate insertion, along with a drainage system to control urine flow and prevent spillage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a long tube catheter is used for intermittent urinary catheterization, then the catheter can reach the bladder, but the operator's hand directly contacts the tube during insertion, increasing infection risk
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter tube is nested within a protective sheath that extends along the entire length of the tube. The sheath acts as an outer protective layer that prevents direct contact between the operator's hand and the catheter tube during insertion and handling, thereby preventing bacterial contamination while maintaining the required tube length for bladder access
2Reliability
If the urinary catheter is placed in a disposable catheter bag for protection, then infection risk is reduced during first use, but the bag cannot prevent hand contact during repeated uses, increasing infection risk
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sheath is designed as a retractable dynamic structure that can be extended to cover the catheter tube during insertion and handling, and retracted to expose the tube for connection and drainage operations. This dynamic design allows the same protective mechanism to serve throughout multiple uses, eliminating the need for disposable bags while maintaining infection prevention during repeated uses
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the operator pinches or bends the catheter tube to control urine flow, then urine spillage is prevented, but the insertion difficulty increases due to single-handed operation requirement
Solution Approach 1:
A switch mechanism is introduced as an intermediary device to control urine flow instead of directly manipulating the catheter tube with the hand. The switch, which may be a valve or clamp mechanism, allows the operator to control urine drainage without pinching or bending the tube, thereby preventing urine spillage while simplifying the insertion process and enabling two-handed operation if needed
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an intermittent urinary catheter structure, which comprises: a tube, one end of the tube acting in concert with the human body and the other end of the tube being provided with a switch used for controlling the starting and stopping of liquid flow, and the outside of the tube having sleeved thereon a retractable sheath extending along the length direction of the tube, one end of the sheath being connected to the switch, and the other end of the sheath being detachably provided with a sealing cap, forming a closed structure capable of enveloping the tube. The present application has the advantages of reducing the risk of infection and the difficulty of tube insertion.