Apparatus and method for removing fecal impaction

Apparatus for removing a fecal impaction from a patient's rectum, the apparatus comprising:

• a shaft having proximal and distal ends;
• a collar fixed to said proximal end of said shaft, said collar defining a plurality of orifices;
• and
• a plurality of flexible spines arranged parallel to said shaft, each spine having a distal end fixed relative to said distal end of said shaft and a proximal end extending a predetermined length through one of said orifices defined by said collar.

A method for removing a fecal impaction from a patient's rectum comprising the steps of:

• inserting an apparatus into the patient's rectum, said apparatus comprising a shaft having proximal and distal ends, a plurality of flexible spines fixed relative to one of said proximal and distal ends of said shaft, and a sheath disposed over said flexible rods;
• bowing at least one of said flexible spines away from said shaft;
• extending said sheath along the length of said bowed spines to encapsulate at least a portion of the fecal impaction;
• straightening said bowed spines to compress the encapsulated fecal impaction;
• and removing said apparatus and the encapsulated fecal impaction from the patient's rectum.

Apparatus for removing a fecal impaction from a patient's rectum, the apparatus comprising:

• a shaft having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis;
• a first flexible spine fixed relative to said proximal and distal ends of said shaft, said first flexible spine fixed in position;
• a second flexible spine fixed relative to said proximal and distal ends of said shaft, said second flexible spine rotatable about said longitudinal axis of said shaft;
• a sheath having a first side coupled to said fixed spine and a second edge coupled to said rotatable spine;
• and
• means for bowing said flexible spines away from said shaft.

A device for removing a fecal impaction from a patient's rectum comprising:

• a shaft having distal and proximal ends, said shaft defining a wire channel, said distal end of said shaft defining a wire orifice, and said proximal end of said shaft defining a handle orifice;
• a collar slideably mounted on said distal end of said shaft;
• a plurality of flexible spines, each of said spines having a distal end attached to said slideable collar and a proximal end attached to said proximal end of said shaft;
• a sheath having a fixed edge coupled to said proximal ends of said spines and a moveable edge slideably mounted on said plurality of flexible spines;
• and
• a wire radially coupled to said sheath, wherein said wire passes through said wire orifice, is disposed in said wire channel, and exits said handle orifice.

Apparatus for removing a fecal impaction from a patient's rectum, the apparatus comprising:

• a shaft having proximal and distal ends;
• a plurality of flexible spines arranged parallel to said shaft, each spine having proximal and distal ends, said proximal end of each spine fixed relative to said proximal end of said shaft and said distal end of each spine fixed relative to said distal end of said shaft;
• means for shortening said shaft so that said spines bow away from said shaft such that said bowed spines and said shaft define a volume which contains at least a portion of the fecal impaction;
• a sheath having a fixed edge coupled to said proximal end of at least one of said plurality of flexible spines and a moveable edge slideably coupled to at least one of said plurality of flexible spines;
• and
• means for extending said sheath to cover at least one of said plurality of flexible spines from proximal end to distal end, thereby encapsulating the volume defined by said shaft and said flexible spine.