Disclosed is an endo-urethral catheter for a male subject. The catheter includes a tube and two balloons. The tube includes a lumen extending there along, an opening(s) on a tube distal section, and a valve positioned in the lumen. A first balloon is disposed about the tube distal section proximally to the opening(s). A second balloon is positioned proximally to the first balloon and distally to the valve. The catheter is configured to be deployed in the urinary system such that the first balloon is positioned in the bladder neck, and the second balloon is positioned adjacently and proximally to the urinary sphincter, thereby anchoring the catheter. The valve is configured to be controllably opened and shut, such as to respectively fluidly couple and decouple the bladder to the proximal end of the tube, thereby allowing the subject to controllably expel urine.

An implantable, body-driven shunt pump includes a pump body defining a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet and a fluid chamber therebetween; an inlet valve arranged in the fluid inlet, the inlet valve being a one-way valve arranged such that it is operable to allow fluid flow into the fluid chamber and to prevent fluid flow out of the fluid chamber; and an outlet valve arranged in the fluid outlet, the outlet valve being a one-way valve arranged such that it is operable to allow fluid flow out of the fluid chamber and to prevent fluid flow into the fluid chamber. The pump body includes an expandable and contractible component in a portion of the pump body that defines the fluid chamber such that the fluid chamber changes volume in response to a change in pressure of fluid in the fluid chamber.

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.

A percutaneous catheter is disclosed through which blood passes. The percutaneous catheter having a catheter tube including a first tube and a second tube, the second tube being in fluid communication with the first tube, the first tube having an inner diameter greater than an inner diameter of the second tube, and wherein the first tube is more flexible than the second tube.

The present invention is a self-cleaning catheter designed to impede the development of biofilm within the catheter and provide a mechanism for removing biofilm within the catheter during use by a patient. The self-cleaning catheter includes an outer shell enclosing a urine lumen. The urine lumen has the ability to be opened and closed with a urine lumen closure device and is formed with a plurality of micro ports and a plurality of macro wash ports. At least one antimicrobial lumen is affixed to the exterior of and in fluid communication with the urine lumen at the plurality of micro ports. Similarly, at least one wash lumen is affixed to the exterior of and in fluid communication with the urine lumen at the plurality of macro wash ports. Antimicrobial solutions and wash solutions are introduced into the urine lumen by the antimicrobial lumen and wash lumen respectively, even during use.

The presently described catheter is an improved multi-function hypospadias catheter adapted to be urethrally inserted and secured within a patient's bladder using an attached internal crescent shaped retention balloon. The inverted crescent configuration of the balloon reduces the contact surface area between the balloon and a patient's bladder wall to reduce bladder spasms. The catheter is removed from the patient (when needed) via deflation of the crescent shaped balloon, which deflates completely so as to not contact a patient's urethra during insertion and removal of the catheter. The catheter includes a double lumen with a one-way flow valve. One lumen provides a passageway to drain urine from a patient's bladder. The second lumen provides a passageway to inflate and deflate the crescent shaped retention balloon.

A method for making a catheter. The method includes forming a catheter tube including an outer wall circumscribing at least one lumen and having a closed distal end, and creating a slit valve in a distal segment of the catheter tube proximal of the closed distal end. The slit valve includes a slit through the outer wall and a compliant segment designed to facilitate inward deflection of a portion of the outer wall along the slit when negative pressure is applied to the at least one lumen. The compliant segment is circumferentially spaced apart from the slit.

In some examples, an aspiration catheter system includes an outer catheter and an inner catheter configured to be positioned within the outer catheter lumen, and an alignment element. The outer catheter defines an outer catheter lumen and an outer catheter distal opening. The inner catheter defines an inner catheter lumen, an inner catheter distal opening, and a plurality of sidewall openings proximal to the inner catheter distal opening. The alignment element is configured to indicate a predetermined position of the inner catheter relative to the outer catheter when the inner catheter is received within the outer catheter distal opening. When the inner catheter is at the predetermined position, at least one sidewall opening of the plurality of sidewall openings remains positioned within the outer catheter lumen and at least one other sidewall opening of the plurality of sidewall openings is positioned distal to the outer catheter distal opening.

A bi-directional valve assembly, including valves for use in closed-ended catheters or other elongate tubular devices, is disclosed. In one embodiment, a catheter assembly for insertion into a body of a patient is disclosed and comprises an elongate catheter tube including an outer wall that at least partially defines at least one lumen that extends between a proximal end and a closed distal end thereof. The catheter tube includes a valve assembly that in turn includes a linear slit valve defined through the outer wall of a distal segment of the catheter tube, and a deformation region. The deformation region includes a compliant segment disposed in the outer wall of the catheter tube and a thinned portion of the outer wall. The compliant segment and thinned portion of the deformation region cooperate to preferentially deform the outer wall and open the slit valve during aspiration through the catheter tube.

The presently described catheter is an improved multi-function hypospadias catheter adapted to be urethrally inserted and secured within a patient's bladder using an attached internal crescent shaped retention balloon. The inverted crescent configuration of the balloon reduces the contact surface area between the balloon and a patient's bladder wall to reduce bladder spasms. The catheter is removed from the patient (when needed) via deflation of the crescent shaped balloon, which deflates completely so as to not contact a patient's urethra during insertion and removal of the catheter. The catheter includes a double lumen with a one-way flow valve. One lumen provides a passageway to drain urine from a patient's bladder. The second lumen provides a passageway to inflate and deflate the crescent shaped retention balloon.