Reusable Urinary Catheter with Removable Members for Controlled Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reusable urinary catheters lack an effective means to limit the number of uses, leading to potential degradation and misuse, as users may not adhere to recommended reuse limits.
Innovation Solution
A reusable urinary catheter assembly featuring a catheter shaft with removable members, such as a frangible drainage member or concentric cover layers, which are designed to be progressively removed between uses, limiting the catheter's reuse to a predetermined number.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a catheter is designed as reusable with no limit on re-sterilization, then the catheter can be used multiple times reducing waste, but the catheter integrity degrades through repeated exposure to sterilizing solutions and bodily fluids
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into a permanent core component and temporary removable members (such as protective coatings, lubricant layers, or structural elements) that can be selectively removed after a predetermined number of uses. This segmentation allows the permanent portion to be reused while the temporary portions are discarded after limiting the number of reuses, thus maintaining reliability while enabling multiple uses.
2Reliability
If instructions are provided with a reusable catheter to indicate maximum recommended reuse times, then users are informed of safety limits, but users may not follow these instructions
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter incorporates self-limiting mechanisms such as frangible (breakable) components, degradable materials, or irreversible chemical changes that automatically prevent further use after the predetermined number of uses is reached. This self-service approach eliminates the need for users to rely on instructions, as the device itself enforces the reuse limit through its physical or chemical properties.
3Reliability
If a catheter is designed for single-use and disposed of after one use, then catheter integrity is maintained, but waste is generated and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is segmented into permanent reusable components and temporary disposable components. The permanent core structure (such as the catheter shaft or drainage tube) can be sterilized and reused multiple times, while temporary components (such as protective coatings, lubricant layers, or external coverings) are removed and disposed of after a predetermined number of uses, thereby reducing waste while maintaining integrity.
4Reliability
If removable members are added to a catheter to limit reuse, then the number of uses is controlled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The limiting function is extracted as separate removable members (such as protective coatings, lubricant layers, or structural elements) that can be easily detached from the permanent catheter core. These extracted components serve as reusable counters that can be removed after a predetermined number of uses, providing controlled reuse functionality without significantly complicating the main catheter structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable urinary catheter assembly includes a catheter shaft and a plurality of removable members associated with the catheter shaft. A different one of the removable members is configured to be removed from the catheter shaft between each consecutive use of the reusable urinary catheter assembly. By such a configuration, the number of times that the reusable urinary catheter may be reused is limited by the number of removable members.