Urinary Catheter

Abstract

Catheters have proximal and distal tubular ends joined by a preferably flexible connecting portion of reduced diameter so that liquid draining through the catheter can wash the walls of the urethra. Rigidifying aids to the insertion of the catheter when flexible are described.

Description

This invention relates to catheters and more particularly to a urinary catheter which permits draining urine to wash the walls of the urethra and thus ameliorate some of the adverse consequences, mechanical and chemical, resulting from prolonged presence of a conventional indwelling catheter in the urethra.

These consequences include excessive production of mucous and/or denudation of the urethral epithelium. The periurethral cylinder of mucous provides an excellent growth medium for bacteria and it has been shown that this is one pathway of bladder infection. The mechanical trauma can lead to direct bacterial invasion, strictures, etc.

The present invention in effect provides a device which has a hollow distal portion intended to penetrate through the sphincteral muscle to hold it open and another hollow proximal portion for channeling the urine out through the urethra entrance, but intermediate thereto there is only as much structure as is necessary to maintain a structural connection with a hollow distal portion of the catheter for insertion and removal. In effect then both ends of the urethra are plugged with hollow drainage tubes but in between the draining urine, after passing through the sphincter is confined and channeled by the wall of the urethra until it reaches the other hollow portion.

In this manner, excessive mucous tends to be washed away carrying bacteria with it, the object being to so reduce the bulk of the connecting portion of the catheter as to expose urethra wall surfaces to flowing draining urine.

Since reduction in bulk of the connecting portion reduces the stiffness of the catheter and thereby makes it more difficult to insert the catheter properly, means are provided to reduce the flimsiness and flexibility of the catheter for purposes of insertion. This may be done either with the use of a removable reinforcing insertion tube or may be accomplished with the use of inflatable strips which rigidify much in the same manner as inflatable splints for appendages.

The above and other objects of the invention will be more fully understood when taken in connection with a description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a urinary catheter positioned within a bladder through the urethra, the drawing being broken away to indicate extent, and being partly in cross-section;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a similar view reduced in size and with parts broken away, to that shown in FIG. 1 with a temporary insertion tool carried in the catheter;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another form of catheter in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5a is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5a--5a of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a view of the catheter of FIG. 5 with a portion thereof inflated;

FIG. 6a is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6a--6a of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another form of catheter in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 7a is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7a--7a of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a partial view of a catheter of FIG. 7 with a portion thereof inflated;

FIG. 8a is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8a--8a of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is a view of a modified form of catheter;

FIG. 9a is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9a--9a of FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 is a view of the catheter of FIG. 9 but with certain of the parts in inflated position; and

FIG. 10a is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 10a--10a of FIG. 10 .

In FIG. 1 a catheter of the invention is shown properly placed to act as an indwelling retention catheter for draining a urinary bladder, a portion of which 20 is shown in relation to its accompanying urethra 22.

The catheter can most conveniently be described as being constituted of three sections.

The proximal section includes a hollow tube portion 24 forming a drainage canal 26 discharging through a terminal funnel portion 28. Integral therewith is a side arm 30 having a separate auxiliary lumen 32. This section terminates at an open bore end shown at 34.

The distal section includes a hollow tube portion 36 forming a main drainage canal 38 and having a pair of drainage eyes 40. An expansible and collapsible member in the form of a balloon 42 surrounds the distal section and is inflated (as shown in FIG. 1) by passage of fluid through the lumen 44 and passageway 46 through the wall of the tube portion 36.

This distal section ends at an open bore end at 48.

The remainder of the catheter comprises a connecting section 50 of small diameter just large enough to contain the balloon inflating lumen 52 communicating on either side with the ends 32 and 44 of the lumen.

In the device shown in FIG. 1 therefore drainage of urine collecting in the bladder 20 proceeds through the eyes 40 into the main canal 38, passes the sphincter and escapes from the catheter at the open bore end 48 so that between that point and the open bore end 34 of the proximal section of the catheter the urine flows in contact with large circumferential wall portions of the urethra 22.

The draining urine is then re-collected at 34 and passes out the main drainage canal 26 to the exterior of the body through the funnel 28. Only that portion of the urethra wall which is in contact with the small reduced diameter connecting section 50 is not exposed to the draining urine.

FIG. 3 shows in reduced size a catheter having the construction shown in FIG. 1 but wherein the connecting section 50 is reinforced and the section made more rigid by insertion through the funnel 28 and proximal section of a stiffening tube 56 which passes into the hollow tube of the distal end portion. The tube 56 is hollow and open ended so that it too can drain urine as an indicator of when the catheter has entered the bladder. For this purpose the end of tube 56 is slit as shown at 58. In FIGS. 3 and 4 the balloon is shown inflated so that FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the catheter in indwelling position although the urethra and bladder parts of FIG. 1 are not shown.

After the balloon has been inflated within the bladder, the stiffening tube of FIG. 3 is withdrawn leaving the structure as it is shown in FIG. 1 for operation as an indwelling retention catheter with the urethra wall bathing feature.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a construction much like that shown in FIG. 1 except that it has two additional parts. First the connecting section 50 is covered over on one side by a collapsible wall 60 forming an elongated air pocket 61 (FIG. 6a). A second arm 62 contains a second lumen 64 which communicates through passageway 66 (FIG. 5a) with the pocket 61. The balloon inflating lumen 52a is moved over to accommodate the lumen 64.

Accordingly, before insertion the collapsible wall 60 can be inflated through the lumen 64 to the position shown in FIG. 6 to stiffen the connecting section for insertion, the retention balloon 42 after insertion can be inflated and then the wall 60 can be collapsed to the position shown in FIG. 5 to help expose the urethra walls to draining urine.

In FIGS. 7 and 8 instead of having a single collapsible wall 60, as in FIGS. 5 and 6, the connecting section 50a is centrally located and provided on opposite sides with inflatable structures formed by walls 70 and 71 thus requiring two auxiliary arms 72 and 73 for inflating both of the opposite pockets 74 and 75 through lumens 76 and 77 temporarily during insertion of the catheter.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a still further alternative in which the connection section 50b extends along the axis of the catheter and is surrounded by a coaxial collapsible wall 80 forming an annular pocket 81 which can be inflated and deflated through the lumen 86 discharging through the side arm 82. The wall 80 is shown deflated in FIGS. 9 and 9a and inflated in FIGS. 10 and 10a, thus changing the cross-sectional dimension of the central section of the catheter.

It will be understood that the arms 30, 62, 72, 73 and 82 may be provided with conventional clamps (not shown) for retaining inflating fluids in the balloon 42 and pockets 61, 74, 75 and 81. Also it will be understood that in FIGS. 1 and 2 the urethra 22 is shown as being generally tubular even where it is unsupported by the walls of the inserted catheter. This configuration is used for the purpose of clarity, inasmuch as in actual use the urethra wall would collapse onto or drape around the connecting section 50 of the catheter. Even in that position all portions of the urethral wall surrounding the connecting section 50 will be periodically bathed with urine since the body movements will cause shifts in the position of the connecting section with respect to the wall.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A urinary catheter having at its distal end a tube having a bore forming a drainage channel

a drainage eye leading to said drainage channel;

an expansible and collapsible member surrounding the distal end of said tube and operating as a device for retaining said catheter against inadvertent ejection from placement with its said eye located within a urinary bladder;

the proximal end of said catheter including a tube having a bore forming a drainage channel;

the bores of said distal and said proximal tubes ending in spaced relation and

a connecting member of reduced cross section relative to said tubes joining said tubes, whereby the distal tube may lie extending through the sphincteral muscle to drain urine past said muscle into contact with the walls of the uretha surrounding said connecting portion and thence into the proximal end tube for elimination from the urethra therethrough.

2. A catheter as claimed in claim 1 having an elongated hollow member extending parallel to said connecting member and having its distal end extending into the bore of said distal tube and its proximal end extending through and out of the bore of said proximal tube, whereby urine can drain through said hollow member to the exterior as an indicator as to when the catheter has entered the bladder,

said elongated member being removable by withdrawal out of said tubes after said catheter has been inserted into a bladder with the aid of the stiffening imparted by said hollow elongated member to said catheter.

3. A catheter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting member is flexible and said catheter has

inflatable means extending along said connecting member for temporarily increasing the cross-sectional area of at least portions of said connecting member and reducing its flexibility for the purpose of inserting said catheter more readily through a urethra and means connecting said inflatable means with the proximal end of said catheter to permit said inflatable means to be deflated while maintaining said retention expansible member expanded to retain the catheter in indwelling position.

4. A catheter as claimed in claim 3 wherein said inflatable means lies wholly on one side of said connecting member.

5. A catheter as claimed in claim 3 wherein the inflating means includes a pair of inflatable members lying one on each side of said connecting member.

6. A catheter as claimed in claim 3 wherein said inflatable means includes a collapsible wall coaxially surrounding said connecting member.

7. A catheter as claimed in claim 3 having a side arm at its proximal end containing a lumen communicating through the connecting member with said inflatable means.

8. A catheter as claimed in claim 5 having two side arms at its proximal end, each containing a lumen communicating through the connecting member with one of said inflatable members.