Device for the trans-anal drainage of stool from the rectum of a patient and/or for the trans-anal application of inflowing liquid through a catheter-like element

A device, comprising a catheter-like element, for transanal drainage of stool from the rectum of a patient through the catheter-like element, and/or for the transanal administration of inflowing fluid through the catheter-like element, wherein the catheter-like element of the device comprises a tube-like shaft body and an inflatable balloon element, wherein the inflatable balloon element is produced from a thin-walled soft film material of limited elastic deformability and is preformed during production into a waisted shape having (i) two terminal balloon sections with a larger tubular radius, and (ii) a middle balloon section being disposed between and being tapered relative to the two terminal balloon sections, wherein the middle balloon section is provided with a reduced tubular radius and is configured to be placed transanally, such that the terminal balloon section distally adjoining the radially tapered middle balloon section is configured to be placed intrarectally, and the terminal balloon section proximally adjoining the radially tapered middle balloon section is configured to be placed extracorporeally, wherein two ends of the inflatable balloon element taper to a diameter of a jacket surface of the shaft body, and wherein both ends of the inflatable balloon element are fixed at an axial distance from each other, on the jacket surface of the shaft body,

• wherein in a neutral force-free state of the catheter-like element free of axial forces, the terminal balloon section configured to be placed intrarectally surrounds a distal region of the shaft body and is dimensioned such that, in the presence of an axial displacement of the shaft body toward the bowel of the patient, an oppositely acting force is generated by the corresponding deformation of the inflatable balloon element surrounding the shaft body, wherein the oppositely acting force damps and/or limits the movement of the distal end of the shaft body in a direction toward the bowel of the patient, such that the distal end of the shaft body cannot be displaced in a manner potentially traumatizing to the bowel of the patient, beyond the terminal balloon section configured to be placed intrarectally and surrounding the distal region of the shaft body,
• wherein a distal tip of the shaft body, in an axially non-displaced, resting state of the catheter-like element, comes to lie completely proximally of a plane that is intersected perpendicularly by an axis of symmetry, and that is fully tangent distally to the terminal balloon section configured to be placed intrarectally, and wherein the shaft body has such elastic deformability properties and straightening properties that the shaft body
• a) transitions from an initially open-lumen, fully longitudinally straightened state in the neutral force-free state of the catheter-like element free of axial forces into an axially compressed state in the form of one or more axial kinks or folds of the shaft body in response to forced accidental displacements of the shaft body in the direction toward the bowel of the patient, but spontaneously returns to the initially open-lumen, fully longitudinally straightened state when the force operating on the shaft axis of the shaft body in the direction toward the bowel of the patient is removed;
• and
• b) transitions from a diameter dimension in the initially open-lumen, fully longitudinal straightened state in case of a relaxed anal sphincter muscle of the patient into a radially folded state under a normal tone exerted by the anal sphincter muscle of the patient, but straightens out again to the diameter dimension in the initially open-lumen, fully longitudinally straightened state when the anal sphincter muscle of the patient relaxes from the normal tone, and
• c) wherein one or both ends of the inflatable balloon element are inverted by an amount C and are fixed on the shaft body in this position.