Urinary Stent Collapsible Proximal End for Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing urinary stents often face difficulties in removal due to their size and design, which can cause discomfort and complicate the extraction process from the urethra, especially after treating enlarged prostate issues.
Innovation Solution
A urinary stent with a collapsible proximal end portion that can change its outer perimeter size for easy insertion and removal, featuring a frusto-conical shape and a tether for assisted retrieval, allowing the stent to be expanded within the urethra for fluid flow and collapsed for removal, or a tapered design for a smaller profile exit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the stent is designed with a large outer perimeter to maintain the urethra in an open state, then the stent can effectively hold open the constricted urethra, but the stent becomes difficult to remove from the patient's body
Solution Approach 1:
The stent incorporates a collapsible portion at the proximal end that can transition between an expanded configuration (with larger outer perimeter for effective urethral support) and a collapsed configuration (with smaller outer perimeter for easy removal). This dynamic structural change allows the stent to adapt its dimensions based on operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent is divided into distinct functional segments: a collapsible proximal portion that can be compressed for removal, and a remaining portion that maintains the structural integrity and urethral support function. This segmentation allows different parts of the stent to serve different purposes during insertion, retention, and removal phases.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the stent maintains a consistent large outer perimeter throughout its length, then it provides uniform support, but the proximal end becomes difficult to extract from the urethra
Solution Approach 1:
The stent features a localized collapsible portion at the proximal end that differs in structural properties from the remaining portion. This local variation allows the proximal end to be compressed for extraction while the rest of the stent maintains its uniform structural support characteristics for urethral stabilization.
3Productivity
If the stent is designed to be fully expandable for optimal fluid flow, then urine drainage is improved, but the stent size makes removal cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The stent's collapsible portion enables dynamic size adjustment: when expanded, it provides optimal urine drainage efficiency by maintaining a large lumen; when collapsed, it reduces the outer perimeter to facilitate easy removal. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction between drainage efficiency and removal ease.
Data Source
AI summary
A urinary stent includes an elongate member that defines a lumen extending therethrough and that is configured to be disposed at least partially within a prostatic portion of a urethra of a patient. The elongate member includes a collapsible portion disposed at a proximal end portion of the elongate member. The collapsible portion has a first configuration in which an outer perimeter at a proximal end of the collapsible portion is substantially equal to an outer perimeter of a remaining portion of the elongate member and a second configuration in which the outer perimeter at the proximal end of the collapsible portion is smaller than the outer perimeter of the remaining portion of the elongate member.