Ureteral stent for placement in a kidney and bladder

A ureteral stent for placement in a bladder, a kidney and a ureteral passageway connecting the bladder and kidney for allowing urine and/or stones to flow from the kidney to the bladder and not from the bladder to the kidney, the ureteral stent including:

• a resilient bladder portion configured to be positioned in the bladder and including one or more openings in a wall thereof providing a fluid passage;
• a tubular kidney portion defining a tubular resilient fixing portion configured to be positioned in the kidney and a tubular ureter portion extending from the resilient fixing portion and configured to be positioned in the kidney and the ureteral passageway to keep the passageway in an open state while in position, the tubular kidney portion including one or more openings in a wall thereof providing a fluid passage;
• a tether connecting the bladder portion and the ureter portion, the tether being a single tether with first and second ends coupled together, and
• a sleeve coupled to the wall of the ureter portion and having a length less than a length of the ureter portion, the sleeve covering the first and second ends of the tether that are coupled together to hold down the first and second ends to prevent the first and second ends from irritating a patient and allow the tether to lie down.

A ureteral stent for placement in a bladder, a kidney and a ureteral passageway connecting the bladder and kidney, the ureteral stent including:

• a bladder portion configured to be positioned in the bladder, the bladder portion being resilient and biased in an unrestrained position to prevent the bladder portion from migrating into the ureteral passageway when positioned in the bladder;
• a kidney portion configured to be positioned in the kidney and the ureteral passageway, the kidney portion having a ureter portion configured to be positioned in the kidney and the ureteral passageway to place the ureteral passageway in an open state and a resilient fixing portion biased in an unrestrained position to secure the resilient fixing portion in the kidney when positioned in the kidney;
• a tether coupled to the bladder portion and the ureter portion to allow the bladder portion to float in the bladder and to allow a ureter orifice connecting the ureteral passageway to the bladder to move between a compressed state and an uncompressed state, the tether being a single tether with first and second ends coupled together forming a knotted portion positioned outside the bladder and kidney portions;
• and
• a sleeve coupled to a wall of the ureter portion or a wall of the bladder portion and having a length less than a length of the ureter portion or the bladder portion, the sleeve covering the knotted portion to hold down the knotted portion and part of the tether to prevent the knotted portion from irritating a patient and allow the tether to lie down.