Urinary Drainage Devices

Abstract

A urinary drainage bag having an inlet tube and a large bore bottom drain outlet tube with a slide valve in the outlet tube controlling the flow out of the bag.

Description

The present invention relates to a urinary drainage system which is connected to a catheter for the collection of the daily output of urine from the patient. Such systems are drained periodically, for example several times a day.

Such bags incorporate a drainage outlet tube which is normally opened and closed by means of a slide clip. This kind of clip has proved unsatisfactory as it is difficult to operate and cannot be operated single-handed by the staff.

A certain amount of residual urine is left in the outlet tube just below this clip in use and some of this may leak onto the operator's hands or onto the floor. This risk of cross-infection is therefore considerably increased as a nurse operating this kind of drainage clip might have to empty many bags in the course of 24 hours.

Urinary drainage bags are normally transparent and adapted to be connected to a catheter by means of a flexible connecting tube.

Extreme care has also to be taken to guard against cross infection by nursing personnel. Thus non-return valves between the tube and bag are used and drainage valves, often of special design, may be located in the bottom portions of the bags.

It is often necessary to analyse or culture the urine of such patients and for this purpose it is essential to obtain a freshly discharged specimen of urine rather than to obtain a specimen some hours old from the collection bag. On the other hand it is desirable not to have to change a used bag for a fresh one since this is likely to give rise to the infection, introduced at the time of reconnection.

It is among the objects of the invention to mitigate these disadvantages.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a simple and efficient tap means which can empty the bag without disconnection from a patient.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a tap means which is operable by using one hand.

It is a further object to provide a tap means which has a wide bore for easy drainage, and in which the parts which are handled for operation are not contaminated with urine.

It is still a further object of my invention to provide a bag having a wide bore inlet tube and connector so that there is free flow of urine and debris into the bag, and to provide a tap of wide bore.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a drainage bag having a sleeve on an inlet tube therefore which allows a sample of urine to be taken without risk of cross-infection.

It is a yet further object of the invention to provide a self-sealing sleeve so that leakage is prevented when a sample is withdrawn using a syringe.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description which should be read, by way of example only, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an enlarged sectional view of the parts of a tap for the urinary drainage device;

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the tap of FIG. 1 in actual size;

FIG. 3 shows the tap connected with a drainage bag for urine; and

FIG. 4 shows a second urinary drainage bag.

In the drawings, like parts are indicated by like reference numerals.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the tap comprises a body 1 of generally cross-shape having a main hollow tube 2, an outlet 3 and a transverse hollow member 4 having a long arm 4' and a short arm 4". A sliding valve member 5 fits in close fitting sliding engagement in the transverse member 4. The sliding member 5 comprises a long part 5' and a coaxial short part 5" spaced apart and connected by a solid connector rod 6 of reduced cross-section. The parts 5' and 5" are hollow. The shorter part 5" of the sliding member 5 has the same length as the long arm 4' of the transverse hollow member 4 so that when the sliding member is in position and the tap is open to allow passage of fluid the rod 6 of reduced cross-section spans the bore of the main tube 2 and the long part 5' projects from the short arm 4" of the transverse member. The longer part 5' of sliding member has a length such that in the closed position in use the longer part extends across the bore in the hollow tube 2 which is thereby sealed against passage of fluid as the outer diameter of the part 5' is equal to the inner diameter of the hollow tube 2.

The tap 1 is easily operated by one hand. In use the tube 2 is mounted in a drainage tube 7. A tube 9 connects with the patient. In operation to close the main tube 2 the protruding part 5' is pushed inwardly so that it entirely blocks the main tube. The short part 5" then projects from the long arm 4' of the transverse member, ready for finger or thumb pressure to be applied to open the main tube 2 for drainage when the bag 8 is full.

The outlet 3 is immediately adjacent the tap 1 and is cut away at 10 so that there is no residual urine remaining after closure of the main tube 2.

The bag 8 is suitably of 2-litre capacity and is made of P.V.C. It is double-seamed to reduce risk of leakage.

The sliding member 5 is made from polyethylene and the body 1 is made from polypropylene. Alternatively other suitable plastics material could be used or suitable members could be coated with these materials to ensure a lubricated surface in sliding contact.

The close sliding fit of the members of the tap prevents leakage of urine, which would be a source of cross-infection.

In each case the plastics materials provide a lubricated surface for relative easy-sliding of the members.

Referring now to the FIG. 4, there is shown a substantially rectangular bag 8 similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 3 formed of a transparent plastic material such as P.V.C. The bag is of just over 2 litres capacity and on its front face carries a convenient graduated scale (not shown) to indicate the amount in cubic centimetres of the partial contents of the bag.

At its lower end portion (as seen in the drawing) the bag 8 is provided with a drain tap 1, of the kind described in FIGS. 1 to 3. At its upper end portion the bag 8 is arranged to accommodate a non-return valve of suitable construction arranged to permit inlet of fluid material only. Such valve, therefore, gives protection against bacteriological cross infection ascending from the contents of the bag. Connected to the valve is one end of the flexible transparent tube 9, the other end of which is provided with a connector cap 12 for connection to a catheter (not shown).

Should it be necessary, as it often is, for a specimen of the user's urine to be obtained it is essential for this to be freshly voided rather than for a specimen to be taken from a collection some hours old in which bacteria may have multiplied. In extracting such freshly expressed urine care must be taken to avoid the danger of infection. For instance if the needle of a hypodermic syringe is inserted in the flexible tube 9 for the purpose of extraction a small residual puncture of the tube will be made through which urine could escape thereby creating a condition of either cross infection of the patient by capillary action or contamination of anyone contacting the exterior of the tube.

The use of a hypodermic syringe in the manner just described is perhaps the most convenient manner of extraction of the specimen; and therefore to guard against the risks of infection the present embodiment being described has a sleeve 11 some two centimetres in length provided along the length of the flexible tube. Such sleeve 11 is formed of a flexible self-sealing material such as neoprene and is of such internal diameter as closely to grip the tube 9.

By the provision of a sleeve 11 of the above kind an attendent or nurse may readily insert the needle of a hypodermic syringe through it and through the wall of the tube 9 to extract a specimen of urine. After so doing and after removal of the needle the small puncture in the sleeve 11 so caused will be automatically sealed to prevent leakage from the interior of the tube.

It will be understood that although the tap has been described for use with a drainage bag for urine, it may be used where suitable for any other receptacle or vessel for fluids, such as a storage tank.

The urinary drainage bag of the invention therefore provides a closed system of drainage where the closed system of drainage is not broken either to collect a sample or to empty the bag. Fresh urine specimens can therefore be obtained without risk of infection of nursing personnel or cross-infection of the patient.

It will also be understood by those skilled in the art of such collection bags that the bags can be used in:

a. Urological Surgery

i. Prostate

ii. Bladder

iii. Kidney

iv. Renal Transplantation

b. Gynaecology

c. General surgery, during and after major pelvic surgery,

d. Paraplagie and Neurogenic bladders,

e. Intensive care units -- to meter urine output accurately; and

f. Wound damage.

Claims

I claim:

1. A collection bag means for urine, comprising a bag means defined by four side means, inlet tube means and outlet tube means, said outlet tube means having a wide bore, said inlet tube means and said outlet tube means being connected with two opposite side means of said four side means defining said bag means, and tap means comprising a main hollow tube inserted in said outlet tube means and forming a bore at least as wide as the bore of said outlet tube means, and two coaxial hollow members extending transversely from opposite sides of said main hollow tube to avoid constriction of the bore of said main hollow tube, one of said members having greater length than the other of said members, and valve member means, said valve member means having a close sliding fit in said two hollow members, wherein said valve member means has two portions of unequal length but of the same diameter and a connector portion, said connector portion connecting said two portions of unequal length whereby a space is defined between said two portions, said longer of said two portions being mounted in said shorter of said two coaxial hollow members of said tap means whereby said tap means can be actuated single-handedly between open and closed positions by an operator.

2. A collection bag means as defined in claim 1, wherein said inlet tube means has at an end remote from said bag means connector cap means, there being intermediate said bag means and said connector cap means a length of said outlet tube means comprised of a material which is self-sealing once it has been punctured by a sharp instrument and said sharp instrument has been withdrawn.

3. A collection bag means for urine, comprising a bag means defined by four side means, inlet tube means and outlet tube means, said outlet tube means having a wide bore, said inlet tube means and said outlet tube means being connected with two opposite side means of said four side means defining said bag means, and tap means comprising a main hollow tube inserted in said outlet tube means and forming a bore at least as wide as the bore of said outlet tube means, and two coaxial hollow members extending transversely from opposite sides of said main hollow tube to avoid constriction of the bore of said main hollow tube, and sliding valve member means mounted in said transverse hollow members with a close sliding fit, said sliding valve member means having first portion means and second portion means being spaced apart and coaxial, and a connector piece means of less cross-sectional area than said first and second portion means being connected by said connector piece means, said first and second portion means being of unequal length, whereby when said tap means is open, said connector piece means extends across said major axis of said main hollow tube and said first portion means of said valve member means extends beyond a lateral extremity of the shorter one of said transverse hollow members.

4. A collection bag means as defined in claim 3, wherein said inlet tube means has at an end remote from said bag means connector cap means, there being intermediate said bag means and said connector cap means a length of said outlet tube means comprised of a material which is self-sealing once it has been punctured by a sharp instrument and said sharp instrument has been withdrawn.

5. A collection bag as defined in claim 3, wherein, outlet tube means terminates in an outlet downstream of said tap means which is short relative to the length of said tube means upstream of said tap means, said outlet terminating obliquely at a cut-away portion at an acute angle relative to the said major axis of said outlet tube means.

6. A collection bag means for urine, comprising a bag means defined by four side means, inlet tube means and outlet tube means, said outlet tube means having a wide bore, said inlet tube means and said outlet tube means being connected with two opposite side means of said four side means defining said bag means, and tap means comprising a main hollow tube inserted in said outlet tube means and forming a bore at least as wide as the bore of said outlet tube means, and two coaxial hollow members extending transversely from opposite sides of said main hollow tube to avoid constriction of the bore of said main hollow tube, one of said members having a greater length than the other of said members, and valve member means, said valve member means having a close sliding fit in said two hollow members, wherein said valve member means has two portions of unequal length but of the same diameter and a connector portion, said connector portion connecting said two portions of unequal length whereby a space is defined between said two portions, said longer of said two portions being mounted in said shorter of said two coaxial hollow members of said tap means, wherein said inlet tube means has at an end remote from said bag means connector cap means, there being intermediate said bag means and said connector cap means a length of said outlet tube means comprised of a material which is self-sealing once it has been punctured by a sharp instrument and said sharp instrument has been withdrawn.