Self-Washing Catheter

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A self-washing catheter comprising: an outer shell with an insertion tip opposite an open end and a catheter opening formed near the insertion tip; an anchor balloon affixed to the outer shell and connected to anchor fill port disposed within the outer shell; a urine lumen in fluid communication with the catheter opening; a urine lumen closure device located near the catheter opening within the outer shell and which when closed precludes a flow of a waste material from the urine lumen to the bladder of a patient; and an antimicrobial lumen disposed within the outer shell and in fluid communication with the urine lumen and terminating in an antimicrobial connection port adjacent the open end of the outer shell, wherein the antimicrobial lumen and the urine lumen each open to a mixing chamber formed between the urine lumen closure device and a lower seal, wherein the lower seal enables the waste material to flow into the urine lumen from the mixing chamber.

2. The self-washing catheter of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial lumen is connected to an antimicrobial solution reservoir filled and an antimicrobial pump wherein an antimicrobial agent is stored within the antimicrobial solution reservoir and is delivered in a desired antimicrobial flow rate to the urine lumen.

3. The self-washing catheter of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial lumen is adjacent to the urine lumen and opens to the urine lumen at one or more micro ports.

4. The self-washing catheter of claim 2 wherein the urine closure device is a closure balloon that encircles the urine lumen near the insertion tip.

5. The self-washing catheter of claim 2 wherein the urine closure device is a one-way valve.

6. The self-washing catheter of claim 1 further comprising: a wash lumen disposed within the outer shell and in fluid communication with the urine lumen and terminating in a wash lumen port adjacent the open end of the outer shell.

7. The self-washing catheter of claim 6, wherein the wash lumen opens to the mixing chamber.

8. A self-washing catheter comprising: an outer shell with an insertion tip opposite an open end and a catheter opening formed near the insertion tip; an anchor balloon affixed to the outer shell and connected to anchor fill port disposed within the outer shell; a urine lumen in fluid communication with the catheter opening; a urine lumen closure device located near the catheter opening within the outer shell and which when closed precludes a flow of a waste material from the urine lumen to the bladder of a patient; and a wash lumen disposed within the outer shell and in fluid communication with the urine lumen and terminating in a wash lumen port adjacent the open end of the outer shell, wherein the wash lumen and the urine lumen each open to a mixing chamber formed between a valve housing and a lower seal, wherein the lower seal enables the waste material to flow into the urine lumen from the mixing chamber.

9. The self-washing catheter of claim 8, wherein the wash lumen is adjacent to the urine lumen and opens to the urine lumen at one or more macro wash ports.

10. The self-washing catheter of claim 8, wherein the wash lumen is connected to a wash solution reservoir and wash solution pump wherein a wash composition is stored within the wash solution reservoir and is delivered in a desired wash flow rate to the urine lumen.

11. The self-washing catheter of claim 8, wherein the urine closure device is a closure balloon that encircles the urine lumen near the insertion tip.

12. The self-washing catheter of claim 8, wherein the urine closure device is a one-way valve.

13. The self-washing catheter of claim 8, further comprising an auxiliary lumen disposed within the outer shell and in fluid communication with the urine lumen and terminating in an auxiliary lumen connection port adjacent the open end of the outer shell.

14. A self-washing catheter comprising: an outer shell with an insertion tip opposite and open end and a catheter opening formed near the insertion tip; an anchor balloon affixed to the outer shell; a urine lumen in fluid communication with the catheter opening; an antimicrobial lumen disposed within the outer shell and in fluid communication with the urine lumen and terminating in an antimicrobial connection port adjacent the open end of the outer shell; and a wash lumen disposed within the outer shell and in fluid communication with the urine lumen and terminating in a wash lumen port adjacent the open end of the outer shell, wherein the antimicrobial lumen, the wash lumen and the urine lumen each open to a mixing chamber formed between a valve housing and a lower seal, wherein the lower seal enables the waste material to flow into the urine lumen from the mixing chamber.

15. The self-washing catheter of claim 14, further comprising an auxiliary lumen disposed within the outer shell and in fluid communication with the urine lumen and terminating in an auxiliary lumen connection port adjacent the open end of the outer shell.

16. The self-washing catheter of claim 14, wherein the antimicrobial lumen is connected to an antimicrobial solution reservoir filled and an antimicrobial pump wherein an antimicrobial agent is stored within the antimicrobial solution reservoir and is delivered in a desired antimicrobial flow rate to the urine lumen.

17. The self-washing catheter of claim 14, wherein the antimicrobial lumen is adjacent to the urine lumen and opens to the urine lumen at one or more micro ports.

18. The self-washing catheter of claim 14, wherein the wash lumen is connected to a wash solution reservoir and wash solution pump wherein a wash composition is stored within the wash solution reservoir and is delivered in a desired wash flow rate to the urine lumen.

19. The self-washing catheter of claim 14, wherein the urine closure device is a closure balloon that encircles the urine lumen near the insertion tip.

20. The self-washing catheter of claim 14 wherein the urine closure device is a one-way valve.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which:

[0021] FIG. 1A is an isometric view of the self-washing catheter having a clear outer shell having an insertion tip with a catheter opening;

[0022] FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the self-washing catheter with the outer shell in dashed lines and showing a urine lumen connected to the catheter opening and disposed within the outer shell;

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a top view of an alternative embodiment of the self-washing catheter further showing an anchor balloon inflated along with a one-way closure valve, both cooperating together to act as a closing device;

[0024] FIG. 3 is a side view of the self-washing catheter showing a urine lumen closure device in the form of a closure balloon encircling the urine lumen and the urine drain tube connecting the urine lumen to urine storage reservoir;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the self-washing catheter showing antimicrobial lumen connected to a pressure reservoir by way of a antimicrobial connection line and a wash lumen connected to a wash reservoir by way of a wash connection line;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the self-washing catheter along the lines 5-5 shown in FIG. 3 and showing the closure balloon inflated and sealing the urine lumen closed;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the self-washing catheter along the lines 6-6 show in FIG. 3 and showing the cross-sectional profile of the antimicrobial lumen and the washing lumen;

[0028] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional isometric view of the self-washing catheter along the lines 7-7 shown in FIG. 1 and showing the micro ports and the macro ports;

[0029] FIG. 8 is a close-up cross-sectional view of the sidewall of the urine lumen of the self-washing catheter showing the macro wash port at an angle with respect to the side wall of the urine lumen in order to facilitate a vortical flow within the interior of the urine lumen;

[0030] FIG. 9 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the self-washing catheter equipped with a two-valve urine lumen closure device;

[0031] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the self-washing catheter along the lines 10-10 shown in FIG. 9 and showing an antimicrobial lumen, wash lumen and urine lumen open to and terminating at a lower seal;

[0032] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the self-washing catheter along the lines 11-11 shown in FIG. 9 and showing a mixing chamber formed between the lower seal and a ball valve along with a secondary slit valve;

[0033] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the self-washing catheter along the lines 11-11 shown in FIG. 9 and showing, the ball valve and slit valve both in the open position allowing urine to pass into the mixing chamber and into the urine lumen;

[0034] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the self-washing catheter along the lines 11-11 shown in FIG. 9 and showing the ball valve and secondary slit valve in the closed position and an antimicrobial agent and a wash composition each being introduced into the mixing chamber and into the urine lumen and wash and sterilize the same; and

[0035] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an automation system for controlling and automating the self-cleaning functionality of the self-cleaning catheter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Turning to FIGS. 1A and 1 B, a self-cleaning catheter 10 has an outer shell 20 with an insertion tip 22 opposite an open end 24. The outer shell 20 is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1 B to better demonstrate the internal structure of the self-cleaning catheter 10, The outer shell may be made of any conventional material known in the art, including silicone rubber, nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), latex, and thermoplastic elastomers. Moreover, the exterior shape of the outer shell 20 and insertion tip 22 are not intended to be limiting as invention functions with any shape catheter known in the art. Also, although the specification is drawn to an embodiment for use as an indwelling urine catheter, the invention disclosed herein is equally suited for other medical catheters, as all catheters are prone to biofilm development and the potential for resulting infections.

[0037] The outer shell 20 and insertion tip 22 are generally dimensioned similar to conventional bladder catheters and may be include a variety of sizes to accommodate different anatomies of patients. An anchor balloon 28 is affixed to the exterior of the outer shell adjacent the insertion tip 22. Anchor balloons 28 are known in the art and are often used in indwelling urine catheters.

[0038] As can be best seen in FIGS. 3, an anchor balloon fill port 29 is connected to the anchor balloon 28 and an air supply (not shown) so as to allow for the inflation of the anchor balloon 28 once the self-cleaning catheter 10 is in place inside the bladder of the patient. Once inflated, the anchor balloon 28 secures the insertion tip within the bladder of the patient throughout the use of the self-cleaning catheter. The anchor balloon fill port 29 is shown entering outer shell 20 adjacent the anchor balloon 28. Such a configuration protects the anchor balloon fill port 29 from damage during insertion of the self-cleaning catheter 10 into a patient.

[0039] Returning to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a catheter opening 26 formed in the insertion tip 22 serves as a point of connection to one end of a urine lumen 30. As can be best seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the opposite end of the urine lumen 30 tapers to a urine lumen connection port 32. Returning to FIG. 1, the urine lumen 30 has an exterior surface 31 and an interior surface 33 and is generally shown as cylindrical in shape, although this shape is not intended to be limiting. The urine lumen 30 is housed within the interior of the outer shell 20 and is accessible at the urine lumen connection port 32 near the open end 24 of the outer shell 20. An anti-biofilm coating may be applied to the interior surface 33 of the urine lumen 30.

[0040] The catheter opening 26 is sufficiently sized to easily receive urine from a bladder of a patient and direct the urine into the urine lumen 30 during normal use. The urine lumen connection port 32 serves as a quick connect to a urine drain tube 38, which in turn is connected to a conventional urine 5 storage reservoir 14 (omitted from the Figures). During use, urine from a patient flows through the self-cleaning catheter 10 much like a conventional catheter. More specifically, urine flows from the bladder of the patient, into the catheter opening 26, through the urine lumen 30 where it is funneled into the urine lumen connection port 32, through the urine drain tube 38 and 10 ultimately to the urine storage reservoir 14. The urine drain tube 38 and urine storage reservoir 14 are disconnected from the urine lumen connection port 32 when full allowing for a quick reconnect with a new storage reservoir.

[0041] The urine lumen 30 has a urine lumen closure device 40 shown between the catheter opening 26 and the anchor balloon 28. As shown in FIG. 1B, the urine lumen closure device 40 comprises a closure balloon 42 that encircles the urine lumen 30 near the insertion tip 22. As can be seen more clearly in connection with FIG. 5, when inflated, the closure balloon 42 pinches the adjacent urine lumen 30 sufficiently to form an internal seal 44. The closure balloon 42 is inflated via an air supply connected to closure balloon fill port 45 extending from the closure balloon 42 to adjacent the open end 24 of the outer shell 20. Once so inflated, the resulting internal seal 44 precludes the passage of urine from the bladder past the internal seal 44. Once so sealed, the urine lumen 30 may be washed as set forth more fully below to remove any biofilm or other contaminants located within the urine lumen 30. Once washed sufficiently to remove any present biofilm, the closure balloon 42 is deflated to enable free flow of urine from the bladder into the urine lumen 30.

[0042] Turning to FIG. 2, an alternative embodiment of the self-cleaning catheter 10 is shown with a one-way closure valve 43 located within the urine lumen 30 adjacent the catheter opening 26. Slight pressure of urine within the bladder will serve to open the one-way closure valve 43 which will otherwise remain closed. The one-way closure valve 43 precludes the passage of materials downstream of the one way closure valve 43 to the catheter opening 26 and surrounding bladder. FIG. 2 also shows a closure balloon 42 as it is anticipated that the closure device 40 can include a closure balloon 42 and a one way closure valve 43, alone or in combination.

[0043] Returning to FIG. 1B, an antimicrobial lumen 50 and a wash lumen 60 are each formed on the exterior surface 31 of the urine lumen 30. Also shown in FIG. 1B is an auxiliary lumen 70 also formed on the exterior surface 31 of the urine lumen 30. The antimicrobial lumen 50, wash lumen 60 and auxiliary lumen 70 are each in fluid communication with the interior of the urine lumen 30 and are each housed within the outer shell 20. The function of the antimicrobial lumen 50, wash lumen 60 and auxiliary lumen 70 are to introduce various compositions into the urine lumen 30 in order to impede the development of and/or remove biofilm within the urine lumen 30.

[0044] The antimicrobial lumen 50 terminates in an antimicrobial lumen connection port 52, which in turn is connected to a pressure reservoir 54 by way of an antimicrobial connection line 53. The pressure reservoir 54 holds an antimicrobial solution or agent that is driven into the urine lumen 30 by the pressure created in the pressure reservoir 54. The pressure reservoir 54 can be manually operated or automated. However, it is intended that the pressure reservoir 54 have the optional capacity to maintain a near constant pressure over a sustained period of time in order to deliver a steady dose of the antimicrobial solution or agent into the urine lumen 30 in order to act on any biofilm present therein. A primary benefit of a constant pressure is to preclude leakage from the urine lumen 30 into the antimicrobial lumen 50 during use. Another benefit of a constant pressure is to create a continual, even if small, flow of fluid through the urine lumen 30 which precludes urine pooling. The pressure reservoir 54 may be equipped with a pressure reservoir connection port 57 for connections with automated systems. Similarly, the wash reservoir 64 may be equipped with a wash reservoir connection port 57 for connections with automated systems.

[0045] The wash lumen 60 terminates in a wash lumen connection port 62, which in turn is connected to a wash reservoir 64 by way of a wash connection line 63 (shown in FIG. 4). The wash reservoir 64 is used to hold a wide variety of wash compositions known in the art, from a simple saline solution to a more complex solution designed to disinfect the interior of the urine lumen 30. The wash composition can be specifically designed to alter the pH inside of the urine lumen 30 to further impede biofilm development. The purpose of the wash lumen 60 is to facilitate washing the interior of the urine lumen 30 utilizing the wash composition which is passed into the urine lumen 30 under pressure through the macro wash ports 37.

[0046] The auxiliary lumen 70 terminates in an auxiliary lumen connection port 72, which in turn is connected to an auxiliary connection line 73. The auxiliary lumen 70 can be configured as a secondary antimicrobial lumen 50, a secondary wash lumen 60, or can be used for alternative purposes such as cycling the interior of the urine lumen 30 between pressure and vacuum in order to further agitate any biofilm present within the interior surface 33 of the urine lumen 30. For such a use, the urine lumen closure device 40 would be in the closed position to preclude apply pressure or vacuum to the bladder of the patient. Numerous devices that cycle between air pressure and vacuum are known in the art and may be simply connected to the end of the auxiliary connection line 73.

[0047] As can best be seen in FIG. 7, the urine lumen 30 is formed with a plurality of micro ports 35 and a plurality of macro wash ports 37. The antimicrobial lumen 50 is positioned over the plurality of micro ports 35 so as to enable a free flow of the antimicrobial solution from the antimicrobial lumen 50 to the interior of the urine lumen 30 through the micro ports 35. Similarly, the wash lumen 60 is positioned over the plurality of macro wash ports 37 so as to enable a free flow of the wash solution from the wash lumen 60 to the interior of the urine lumen 30 through the larger macro wash ports 37. The auxiliary lumen 70 also has a plurality of auxiliary macro ports 39. The use of micro ports 35 and macro wash ports 37 enables the antibacterial agent and wash solutions to act on and near the bottom bonded layer of the biofilm to greatly increases the effectiveness of both the antibacterial agent and wash solution in removing biofilm. Further, the constant flow of antibacterial agent, even in small quantities, makes the interior surface 33 of the urine lumen 30 difficult for a developing bottom layer of a biofilm to adhere to the interior surface 33.

[0048] Turning to FIG. 8, the macro wash ports 37 may be configured at an angle with respect to the sidewall of the urine lumen 30 so as to facilitate the creation of a vortical flow of the wash solution within the interior of the urine lumen 30. The vortical flow, or whirlpool, resulting from the angled macro wash ports 37 creates a strong shear force near the bottom of a biofilm present on the interior surface 33 of the urine lumen 30. The ability to direct the strong shear force near the bottom of a biofilm (as opposed to the top of the biofilm) enables the wash solution to act directly on the bottom layer of the biofilm which is responsible for the bond to the interior surface 33 of the urine lumen 30. In contrast, a simple washout of the urine lumen 30 acting on the top layer of the biofilm will unlikely be able to reach the bottom bonded layer of the biofilm, greatly reducing the probability that the biofilm will be dislodged from the interior surface 33. In addition, the resulting vortical flow (or whirl pool) of the wash solution within the urine lumen 30 acts to further agitate the layers of the biofilm further increasing the likelihood that the biofilm will be dislodged from the interior surface 33 of the urine lumen 30. In contrast, the auxiliary lumen 70 is shown with an auxiliary macro port 39 which is positioned perpendicularly through the exterior surface 31 and interior surface 33 of the urine lumen 30.

[0049] Turning to FIGS. 9 through 12, an alternative embodiment of an alternative embodiment of the self-cleaning catheter 10 is shown. In FIG. 9, the self-cleaning catheter 100 is shown with a hollow body 20 with a with an insertion tip 22 opposite an open end 24. The self-cleaning catheter 100 has a catheter opening 26 formed near the insertion tip 22.

[0050] The self-cleaning catheter 10 has a urine lumen 130, an antimicrobial lumen 150, and a wash lumen 160 all terminating in an open and at lower seal 120. It is preferred that the urine lumen 130, antimicrobial lumen 150, and wash lumen 160 and lower seal 120 are formed with a medical-grade silicone material and made by way of a silicone extrusion process. As a result, the lower seal 120 extends along the length of the lumens 130, 150 and 160 and is sealed against the inner surface of the outer shell 20.

[0051] Turning to FIGS. 11 through 13, a mixing chamber 125 is formed between one-way main valve 140 and the lower seal 120. The urine lumen 130, antimicrobial lumen 150, and wash lumen 160 are open to and in fluid communication with the mixing chamber 125. Positioned between the catheter opening 26 and the one-way main valve 140 is secondary one-way valve 142. The one-way main valve 140 is shown as a ball valve and the secondary one-way valve 142 is shown as a one-way silicone slit valve. The one-way main valve 140 acts to prevent the flow of materials including waste materials such as urine and biofilm particulates, antimicrobial agents, and wash solutions from passing through the catheter opening 26 into the bladder of a user. The second one-way valve 142 is redundant to the one-way main valve 140 and is utilized to further reduce the risk of waste materials passing into the bladder from the catheter 100.

[0052] FIG. 12 shows waste material entering the catheter opening 26, passing through the second one-way valve 142 and the one-way main valve 140 (shown as ball valve 141) into the mixing chamber 125. A predetermined internal pressure is applied within the antimicrobial lumen 150 and wash lumen 160 to preclude the flow of urine into either the antimicrobial lumen 150 and wash lumen 160. The predetermined internal pressure may be created through a pressure reservoir 54 and a wash reservoir 64 connected to the antimicrobial lumen 150 and wash lumen 160. Such connections were shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 above and are omitted from the close-up views depicted in FIGS. 11-13.

[0053] As a result of the predetermined internal pressure created through the pressure reservoir 54 and wash reservoir 64, urine 12 is directed from the mixing chamber 125 to the inlet of the urine lumen 130 where it is then directed to and deposited in a urine storage reservoir 14, such as a collection bag or urine storage container.

[0054] FIG. 13 shows an antimicrobial solution 152 entering the mixing chamber 125 from the antimicrobial lumen 150 and a wash solution 162 entered the mixing chamber 125 from the wash lumen 160. The antimicrobial solution 152 and wash solution 162 mix in the mixing chamber 125 to form an antimicrobial wash solution mix 172. The mixing chamber 125 is pressurized by pressure reservoir 54, which drives the antimicrobial wash solution mix 172 through the urine lumen 130 at a sufficient flow rate to dislodge any biofilm growth within the urine lumen 130. In addition, the resulting antimicrobial wash solution mix 172 and pressure close the one-way main valve 140. Any leakage of the antimicrobial wash solution mix 172 past the one-way main valve 140 is barred from entering the bladder of the user by the second one-way valve 142. The two valves 140 and 142 cooperate together to ensure that no antimicrobial solution 152, wash solution 162, or antimicrobial wash solution mix 172 enter the bladder of the patient during use.

[0055] As a result of the various embodiments set forth above, the self-washing catheter 10 may be injected with various combinations of antimicrobial solutions 152 and wash solutions 162 in predetermined cycles and durations while the catheter 10 remains inserted within the patient.

[0056] Turning to FIG. 14, an automated system 80 is shown with a controller 82, CPU 84 and a power supply 86 housed within a housing 81. The interconnections between the controller 82, CPU 84 and power supply 86 are omitted from view for brevity. The controller 82, CPU 84 and power supply 86 also control a manifold air supply 89. The anchor balloon fill port 29 and the closure balloon fill port 45 are independently inflatable by way of a manifold structure within the manifold air supply 89, the branches of which are independently controllable through electronically actuated valves. The automated system 80 also includes a user interface 88 to allow for programming and monitoring of the automated system 80.

[0057] Pump 1 83, pump 2 85, and pump 3 87 are each electrically connected to the controller 82, CPU 84 and power supply 86 and are powered and controlled by the same. Pump 1 83 is in fluid communication with an antimicrobial solution reservoir 90 which stores an antimicrobial agent. Pump 1 83 then draws the antimicrobial agent from the antimicrobial solution reservoir 90 and directs the same to the antimicrobial connection line 53 of the self-cleaning catheter 10.

[0058] Pump 2 85 is in fluid communication with a wash solution reservoir 92 which stores a wash solution. Pump 2 85 then draws the wash solution from the wash solution reservoir 92 and directs the same to the wash connection line 63 of the self-cleaning catheter 10.

[0059] Pump 3 87 is in fluid communication with an auxiliary reservoir 94 which stores an antimicrobial agent or a wash solution. Pump 3 87 then draws the stored agent or solution from the auxiliary reservoir 94 and directs the same to the auxiliary connection line 73 of the self-cleaning catheter 10. Alternatively, Pump 3 87 and the auxiliary reservoir 94 could be omitted with the auxiliary connection line 73 being connected to the manifold air supply 89.

[0060] While there have been shown what are presently considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.