U.S. patent application number 12/455485 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-09 for wholly indwelling, valve-actuated, urinary catheter.
Invention is credited to John Anderson Armistead.
Application Number | 20100312225 12/455485 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43301268 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100312225 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Armistead; John Anderson |
December 9, 2010 |
Wholly indwelling, valve-actuated, urinary catheter
Abstract
Temporary relief from urine retention often accompanying
prostate gland enlargement can be had by catheterization.
Conventional catheters extend through the sensitive tip of the
penis, causing pain, and preventing sexual relations. This
invention places a valve inside the urethra that has an attached,
proximal catheter which passes through the prostate into the
bladder. Such valve can be opened at will by applying finger
pressure against the distal valve tip and pushing upward toward the
prostate. The latter tip can be felt inside the urethra, near the
juncture between the penis and the scrotum. With the valve in the
open position, the bladder can be nearly fully voided, regardless
of the degree of enlargement of the prostate. This efficient and
easy drainage of the bladder can eliminate the need to endure the
painful surgical enlargement of the prostate duct--which can cause
an inability to father children, normally, and may cause
incontinence.
Inventors: |
Armistead; John Anderson;
(Easley, SC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
John Anderson Armistead
306 East First Avenue
Easley
SC
29640-3064
US
|
Family ID: |
43301268 |
Appl. No.: |
12/455485 |
Filed: |
June 3, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/544 ;
251/213; 606/108 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 25/0074 20130101;
A61M 25/0075 20130101; A61M 25/0017 20130101; A61M 25/01 20130101;
A61M 25/0068 20130101; A61M 2025/0076 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
604/544 ;
251/213; 606/108 |
International
Class: |
A61M 25/14 20060101
A61M025/14; F16K 31/44 20060101 F16K031/44; A61M 25/01 20060101
A61M025/01 |
Claims
1. A urinary catheter having two, integral, bulged portions for
retaining such in the proper position inside the prostate
gland.
2. A mechanical valve, open on the distal end, which attaches to
the catheter and is contained within the urethra.
3. A removable valved-catheter inserting tool that is comprised of
a flexible tubing; threaded, hollow metal tip; and a hollow,
knurled knob for screwing in, or removing, the insertion tube from
the valve.
4. A dissolvable, cone-shaped tip for the catheter to facilitate
inserting such through an enlarged prostate gland.
5. A hydraulic means for expelling the cone-shaped tip, as in 4,
above, using fluid pressure from a syringe.
6. A valve, as in 2, above, which can be opened at will simply by
applying fingertip pressure at the base of the penis, near the
scrotum, and pushing the palpable distal end of the valve upward
toward the prostate gland.
7. A valved catheter that eliminates the necessity for having any
portion of such extend through the sensitive tip of the penis, thus
allowing sexual relations.
8. A valved catheter combination having smooth outer contours which
will allow ejaculate to pass around such.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] A patent(s) relating to the internal workings of the valve
portion of the present invention, which has public domain
counterparts in various industries, will be applied for subsequent
to the present application. However, simple, verbal descriptions of
the valve will be given to aid readers in understanding the
functionality of such--in the medical context of the present
application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Benign prostate gland enlargement now affects, or will
affect, a large portion of the adult male population over the age
of fifty. As the prostate gland enlarges with age, prostate tissue
compresses inward toward the duct which passes urine through it.
The rate of urine flow is slowed, and the ability to completely
void urine from the bladder is often lost. A consequence of the
latter is bladder over-distension, sometimes beyond its ability to
expel urine at all. Kidney damage or failure can result unless
medical remedies are sought.
[0003] Surgical procedures that cut out the compressed tissue
within an enlarged prostate can have the undesirable consequence of
causing a man to loose his ability to father children, naturally.
Cells within the prostate which produce the watery seminal fluid
which both aids the ejaculation of semen, and serves as a transport
medium for the sperm while such travel to fertilize an ovum, are
reduced in number. Because surgical over-enlargement of the inside
of the prostate gland can sometimes result, the path of least
resistance for a man's ejaculate is too often retrograde, or toward
the bladder--making normal sexual reproduction impossible.
[0004] Another undesirable consequence of prostate gland duct
enlargement is incontinence. Such can occur if the bladder outlet
muscles which are adjacent to the prostate gland get enlarged, too,
or if their controlling nerves get damaged.
[0005] For the above reasons, including the pain and suffering
associated both with the surgery and the recovery period, and the
negative life-long psychological factors that can accompany the
surgical enlargement of the prostate duct--it is highly
advantageous that men who have prostate gland enlargement consider
alternatives to surgery such as present invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The most common emergency procedure for urine over-retention
due to an enlarged prostate gland is catheterization via a rubber
tube that is inserted through the urethra, the prostate, and up
into the bladder. An opening on the bladder end of such tube allows
the retained urine to flow out through the opposite end. The
initial flow of urine that's released in the doctor's office or in
an emergency room can be collected in a pitcher. But since the
prostate enlargement which caused the problem hasn't been
corrected, that catheter will need to remain in place. A plastic
urine collection bag is connected to the rubber tube. Because such
tube passes through the nerve-concentrated tip of the penis, the
man will experience discomfort while making simple bodily
movements, and he will be precluded from having sexual relations
for as long as the catheter remains in place.
[0007] The above conditions of duress cause many men to undergo
internal surgery on the prostate gland. Heretofore--other than via
a catheter that extends out the tip of the penis--there hasn't been
a simple, non-surgical way to confidently drain most of the
accumulated urine from the bladder. Prostate duct surgery puts the
quality of men's lives at risk, and diminishes their masculinity,
because they will likely loose the ability to father children,
naturally--needed or not.
[0008] A conventional urinary catheter, such as the Foley, releases
urine into the collection bag as soon as such arrives from the
kidneys. The normal reservoir functions of the bladder aren't being
used, even though the urine storage capacity of the bladder is
still there. If at any time a clamp were to be placed on the
portion of the catheter extending from the tip of the penis, the
bladder would again function as a reservoir. In bladders which have
been over-distended to their limit, it is desirable to avoid having
the urine ever again accumulate beyond the normal volumes as when
that man was younger. Under the latter conditions, the muscles of
the bladder wall will eventually contract so that the bladder will
shrink in volume--in much the same way that a woman's abdomen,
after giving birth, will eventually shrink to be close to the size
it was before pregnancy.
[0009] An extensive network of nerves within the bladder triggers
the urge to urinate. If not for prostate gland enlargement, the
bladder muscles, once they've received the neurological signals to
expel urine, would normally be able to generate the necessary
pressure to do so. If, as suggested above, a clamp were to be
placed on the lower end of the rubber catheter, the pressure of the
urine buildup within the bladder should create an urge to void.
Such will cause the man to go to the toilet and release the clamp
on the rubber tubing. In effect, that clamp will be being released
because of the pressure/pain feelings within the bladder.
[0010] The present invention capitalizes on the bladder having
normal sensations of fullness. But instead of having the "clamp" be
located just outside the overly sensitive tip of the penis, a
"clamp"--actually a valve--is inserted into the back of the
urethra. There, such can be opened or closed by easy finger tip
pressure through the lower penis next to the scrotum, and up
through the urethra. The proximal, catheter portion which extends
into the bladder is analogous to a Foley catheter. But the
offending distal portion of rubber tubing that had extended out the
sensitive tip of the penis is eliminated!
[0011] By the simple act of installing the "clamp" (valve) inside
the urethra, not only is near normal urination being made possible,
but no portion of the installed valve, nor the attached catheter,
will interfere with the free passage of seminal fluid from the
prostate gland, and sperm from the testicles. In short, the man
will be able to have sexual relations that will allow normal
fertilization to occur! And not a single painful and invasive
surgical procedure will have been required!
[0012] The detailed description of the present Wholly Indwelling,
Valve-actuated Urinary Catheter, its installation and easy use,
will be described in the following.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW OF THE DRAWING
[0013] The schematic drawing is a vertical section cut through a
typical man's penis, prostate, and bladder. The implement used for
inserting the valved catheter is shown at the correct relative size
just above the penis. For the present `medical` patent application,
the internal workings of the valve itself will be described in
words, rather than being shown in section. There are a number of
public domain valve types which can function, adequately, for this
usage. The best embodiment of such a valve will be covered in a
subsequent utility patent that will not repeat the medical claims
which follow.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] An enlarged prostate, 1, can restrict urine flow and cause
urine, 6, to overly distend the bladder, 2. A valved catheter that
has: An enlarged end portion, 17, at the neck of the bladder, 2; a
patient-specific length of rubber tubing, 16; an enlarged middle
portion, 15; a patient specific length of rubber tubing, 14; and a
three part valve, 13, 12 and 11, is contained within the urethra,
3. Such valved catheter is inserted through the tip of the penis,
4, by means of a removable flexible tubing, 9, which has a
threaded, hollow, metal tip, 10, and a knurled, hollow metal knob,
8, to allow screwing and unscrewing the metal tip, 10, into the
female threads of the metal tip, 11, of the valve.
[0015] The diameter of the catheter portions, 16 & 14, is
similar to the size of Foley catheters presently in use. The
integral enlarged portions of the rubber catheter, 17 & 15,
retain the valved catheter in place. To aid the insertion of the
big end, 17, through the enlarged prostate, 1, a cone-shaped,
water-soluble, dart-like insert, 18, which is lacquered only on the
cone-shaped tip of such, will wedge the enlarged prostate, 1, open.
Once the big end, 17, is in the correct position, the cone-shaped
insert, 18, is removed via water pressure from a medical syringe
inserted into opening, 7, of knurled knob, 8. The cylindrical back
portion of insert, 18, fits tightly enough inside the catheter
tubing, 16, that such insert, as a unit, can be hydraulically
ejected into the urine, 6, of the bladder, 2. Because the back
portion of insert 18 isn't protected by lacquer, such will
immediately begin dissolving until no solid portions of insert 18
remain within the bladder, 2.
[0016] With the insert, 18, ejected from the big end, 17, the
catheter portions, 16 and 14, are opened to the downward passage of
urine toward the valve, 13, 12 and 11. In the at-rest position, the
valve is closed. That means that no urine can pass through the
metal tip, 11, until the valve is opened. The center portion of the
valve, 12, is a flexible rubber covering which will function like a
spring to keep the valve parts 11 and 13 in the closed position.
However, the user can open the valve at will by placing a finger on
position 5 between the penis and the scrotum. The metal tip, 11,
can be felt. Simply by pushing such metal tip, 11, toward the
prostate gland, 1, the rubber valve portion, 12 will bulge out
slightly, opening the valve to the free passage of urine, 6.
[0017] The quantity of urine flow that's possible with just the
small catheter is limited. But if the man, while holding the valve
tip, 11, in the pushed-in or open position, will also squeeze
closed, and hold, the tip of his penis, 4, then the hydrostatic
pressure building up from the urine flowing out of the metal tip,
11, will swell the diameter of the urethra, 3, as well as the duct
passing through the prostate, 1, so that a greater quantity of
urine will start flowing around the catheter and valve. By
controlling the amount of finger pressure on the tip of the penis,
4, a more powerful urine stream can be maintained.
[0018] Note: Unlike when the latter process was used without a
catheter, near complete voiding of the bladder can be facilitated
simply by holding the valve tip, 11, in the open position. An
inward compression of tip 11 of as little as 1/16'' will open the
valve. Internal O-rings will prevent urine from leaking when the
valve is in the closed position. And because the valve is located
out of the distal portion of the penis, the chance of the valve
opening, accidentally, is small.
[0019] The valved catheter, as in the present invention, can be
left in place for any length of time. Yet such can be removed,
easily, by reinserting the tubing, 9; turning the knurled knob, 8,
clockwise; and rethreading the metal tip, 10, into the metal valve
portion, 11. The dilated prostate duct will allow the withdrawal of
the tip, 17, without special procedures.
* * * * *