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US 5,634,877 AGranted
Urinary control with inflatable seal and method of using same
OwnerFouad A. Salamainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A urine tube extends through a balloon which is inflatable in the neck of a bladder to form a seal around the urine tube. The balloon has a shape corresponding to the shape of the bladder chamber at the urethra orifice to facilitate establishing a seal. A valve is provided on the outlet end of the urine tube and an air tube extends along the substantial length of the urine tube into the balloon. A hypodermic syringe or the like may be inserted into the inlet end of the air tube for inflating the balloon. A hydrogel collar is positioned around the urine tube against the body at the outlet end of the urethra to hold the balloon in tight engagement with the bladder neck at the urethra orifice.
Claims14
A method of controlling a flow of urine from a bladder through a urethra of a person, said bladder having a neck and an orifice, said method comprising the steps of;
- providing an inflation tube having an inflatable balloon at a first end and an inflation inlet at a second end opposite said first end, said inflatable balloon having an interior, a generally non-spherical shape when inflated, and a downwardly extending lower end portion;
- providing a urine tube operatively connected to said inflation tube with said urine tube extending through said interior of said inflatable balloon, said urine tube having an inlet end, an outlet end, an exterior, and a valve for selectively preventing the flow of urine from said inlet end to said outlet end of said urine tube;
- inserting said urine tube, said inflation tube, and said inflatable balloon into urethra;
- positioning the inflatable balloon within the bladder with the downwardly extending lower end portion at least partially within the urethra closely proximate to the neck and the orifice of the bladder with said inlet end of said urine tube being within the bladder;
- inflating said inflatable balloon to provide a plug seal within the urethra at the neck and the orifice of the bladder to prevent the flow of urine from within the bladder through the urethra on said exterior of said urine tube;
- and
- operating said valve to allow the flow of urine from the bladder through said urine tube to said outlet end of urine tube.
4 more elements
A method of controlling a flow of urine from a bladder through a urethra of a person, said bladder having a neck and an orifice, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing an inflation tube having an inflatable balloon at a first end and an inflation inlet at a second end opposite said first end, said inflation tube having an exterior, said inflatable balloon having an interior, an enlarged upper portion when inflated, and a downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion;
- providing a urine tube operatively connected to said inflation tube with said urine tube extending through said interior of said inflatable balloon, said urine tube having an inlet end, an outlet end and an exterior;
- inserting said urine tube, said inflation tube, and said inflatable balloon into the urethra;
- positioning said inflatable balloon within the bladder with the downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion at least partially within the urethra closely proximate to the neck and the orifice of the bladder with said inlet end of said urine tube being within the bladder;
- and
- inflating said inflatable balloon,
- whereby the enlarged upper portion of the inflatable balloon retains the inflatable balloon within the bladder and the downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion of the inflatable balloon forms a plug seal within the urethra at the neck and the orifice of the bladder to prevent the flow of urine from within the bladder through the urethra on the exterior of the inflation tube or the exterior of the urine tube.
4 more elements
A method of controlling the flow of urine from a bladder through a urethra of a person, said bladder having a neck and an orifice, said method comprising the step of:
- providing an inflation tube having an inflatable balloon at a first end and an inflation inlet at a second end opposite said first end, said inflatable balloon having an interior and a shape including an enlarged upper portion when inflated and a downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion, said inflation tube having an exterior;
- providing a urine tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, said urine tube being operatively associated with said inflation tube with said urine tube extending through said interior of said inflatable balloon, said urine tube having an exterior;
- inserting said urine tube, said inflation tube, and said inflatable balloon into the urethra;
- positioning said inflatable balloon within the bladder with said downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion closely proximate to the neck and the orifice of the bladder with said inlet end of said urine tube being within the bladder;
- inflating said inflatable balloon;
- and
- seating said downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion of said inflatable balloon at least partially within the urethra adjacent to the neck and the orifice of the bladder without substantially changing said shape of said inflatable balloon upon being seated,
- whereby the enlarged upper portion of said inflatable balloon retains said inflatable balloon within the bladder and said downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion forms a plug seal within the urethra proximate to the neck and the orifice of the bladder to prevent the flow of urine from within the bladder through the urethra on the exterior of the inflation tube and the exterior of the urine tube.
5 more elements
The method of controlling a flow of urine from a bladder through a urethra of a person, said bladder having a neck and an orifice, said method comprising the steps of;
- providing a tube having an inflation lumen and a urine lumen, said urine lumen having an inlet end, said inflation lumen having an inflatable balloon at a first end and an inflation inlet at a second end opposite said first end, said inflatable balloon having a shape including an enlarged upper portion when inflated and a downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion, said tube having an exterior;
- inserting said tube and said inflatable balloon through the urethra;
- positioning said inflatable balloon within the bladder with said downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion disposed at least partially within in the urethra proximate to the neck and the orifice of the bladder with said inlet end of said urine lumen being within the bladder;
- inflating said inflatable balloon;
- and
- seating said downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion of said inflatable balloon at least partially within the urethra proximate to the neck and the orifice of the bladder without substantially changing said shape of said inflatable balloon,
- whereby the enlarged upper portion of the inflatable balloon retains the inflatable balloon within the bladder and the downwardly extending reduced-in-size lower end portion forms a plug seal within the urethra proximate to the neck and the orifice of the bladder to prevent the flow of urine from within the bladder through the urethra on the exterior of the tube.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.