Project Summary

The Urinary Catheter Valve presented here is a system to allow patients suffering from urinary incontinence to better manage the flow of urine. The proposed valve design is intended to work in conjunction with a standard Foley Catheter. The valve attaches to the distal end of a Foley catheter, essentially stopping the flow of urine until manually activated. To prevent ureter reflux, a dangerous condition in which overfilling of the bladder can lead to urine backflow into the kidneys, the valve allows the release of urine at high bladder pressure. This release is regulated by the “tightness” of the valve seal, which is determined by the degree that the valve is twisted. Because the fluid conduit in the valve is a soft, flexible liner, twisting will slowly occlude the passageway until no fluid will pass. However, high pressures may force small amounts of fluid through the liner. This pressure relief mechanism allows the release of small amounts of urine from the catheter when sustained bladder pressure reaches critical levels. This then requires a small emergency release bag (smaller and less cumbersome than a standard urine bag) to collect any leaked urine. This attached bag will serve as an indicator for the patient to determine when the bladder is getting full.

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