Urine meter drain container with large and small sample ports

A urine meter attached to a flexible urine collection bag. The urine meter comprises a rigid container which is dischargeable into the collection bag. A valve is disposed at the bottom of the rigid container to permit small samples to be taken in a sterile, multiple use, manner. The valve also permits large urine samples to be taken from the container, by the release of a bias device on the valve. The large samples are taken infrequently. The small samples are taken from a reusable sampling port which reseals itself when the sampling device, such as a hypodermic needle, is withdrawn.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
(1) Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a closed system urinary drainage bag, and 
more particularly to the drain valve arranged on a urine meter disposed on 
the front of an urine collection bag. 
(2) Prior Art 
Urine collection begins after catheterization of a patient, wherein urine 
drains from the bladder, through a catheter and drainage tube connected to 
the catheter, and into a urine collection system. The urine collection 
system generally comprises a urine bag, and a urine meter. A urine 
collection bag, for example, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,484. A urine 
collection system with a holding chamber and a one way valve is shown in 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,362. These urine collection systems did not fully 
provide for metering capabilities and which permitted small samples to be 
taken while limiting the likelihood of retrograde infection or bacterial 
contamination within the metering chamber. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,405 shows a urine collection bag with a meter attached 
thereto. The meter has a sampling port thereon. The meter however fails to 
permit samples to be taken from the meter in such a quantity such as 30 to 
40 ml. for tests for specific gravity or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,894 
discloses a urine collection bag with a "push-pull" type valve attached to 
a urine meter therewith. U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,403 shows a valve with a 
distortable tube for drainage of a meter. However this valve is cumbersome 
and unweildy in compact situation requirements because its biasing means 
are arranged on the backside of the valve housing, making a compact design 
impossible. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 876,622 discloses a meter on 
a collection bag. The meter has a drain valve wherein fresh urine may be 
sampled in such quantity as to permit a specific gravity test to be done 
thereon. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a urine meter with a 
drain valve thereon which will permit both means for taking small aseptic 
samples such as with a syringe, while permitting larger volumes to be 
removed from the urine source i.e., the meter, by opening of the drain 
valve. It is a further object of the invention to provide sampling ports 
which will minimize retrograde contamination of the fluid within the meter 
and hence within the system and ultimately the patient. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention comprises a multiple sample valve for a combined 
urine output meter and a drainage bag for collecting, measuring and 
sampling urine output from a catheterized patient. The present invention 
permits small samples of fresh urine to be taken from the meter as well as 
permitting large samples to be taken from the meter when larger volumes of 
urine are required. 
The urine meter comprises a receptacle having a wall defining a cavity and 
an opening at the top receptacle for communication with the cavity. A 
valve is disposed at the bottom of the meter body. A conduit is disposed 
through the bottom of the meter body and is in fluid communication with 
the valve thereat. The valve comprises a generally longitudinally 
extending housing having an adapter opening at its upper end into which 
the conduit extends. The valve has an opening at its lower end. A 
resilient, flexible tube is disposed within the generally longitudinal 
housing of the valve and is in overlapping relationship with the adapter 
which mates with the conduit from the bottom of the meter body. The 
housing for the valve, has a front side and a back side. A biased slider 
plunger extends through an opening in the front side of the housing and is 
movable transversely across the body of the valve. An opening through the 
slider permits the flexible conduit to pass therethrough. A pair of wall 
members are disposed on either side of the slider. The wall members define 
the opening therethrough to permit the flexible conduit to pass. A biasing 
means such as a spring is disposed against the front wall of the housing 
and a tab on the distalmost portion of the slider. The spring acts as 
biasing means which causes the proximal end of the slider to pinch the 
flexible conduit against a bracket arrangement on the housing and thus 
close the conduit off. 
A sampling port may be disposed in the valve housing between the slider and 
the body of the urine meter. An opening comprising the port is disposed in 
the upper half of a front portion of the valve body or housing. A septum, 
or rubber plug, is disposed over the opening.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to FIG. 1, there 
is shown a urine collection assembly 20, having a rigid front receptacle 
22, a flexible rear container or bag 24, a support arrangement 26, and 
inlet conduit means 28, similar to that shown in commonly assigned U.S. 
patent application Ser. No. 876,622 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 
919,290, both incorporated herein by reference. The receptacle 22 may be 
made of any suitable rigid plastic material which is transparent. The 
container 24 may have walls constructed of any suitable, flexible plastic 
material. 
The receptacle 22 has a front wall 30, a rear wall 32, a pair of sidewalls 
34 and 36 at proposed sides of the receptacle 22, and a bottom wall 38 
defining a cavity body in the receptacle 22. The receptacle 22 has a top 
42 defining an elongated opening. In use, urine is initially directed into 
a small inner compartment 48 for more accurate volume measurement by 
indicia arranged on the front wall 30. Urine s permitted to overflow from 
the upper portion of the walls defining the inner compartment 48. The 
receptacle 22 has a pair of lower depending lift tabs 53 to facilitate 
movement of the receptacle 22 relative to the container 24, for drainage 
of the contents of the receptacle 22 into the container 24. 
The receptacle 22 has a lower valve 52 communicating with the inner 
compartment 48 through a conduit 51, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to drain 
urine from the inner compartment 48 during use of the urine meter 20, to 
obtain either a large or a small fresh sample of urine. 
The valve 52 extending beneath receptacle 22 is of generally longitudinal 
shape, having a housing 54 comprising a front half 56, and a rear half 58. 
The valve 52 has an upper end with an opening 60 therein. The valve 52 has 
a lower end 62 with an opening 64 therein. An adapter 66 mates in the 
opening 60 at the upper end of the valve 52. The adapter 66 is arranged to 
snugly fit into the configuration of the opening 60. The uppermost 
proximal end of the adapter 66 has a circular opening 68 theredisposed. 
The opening 68 in the distal end of the adapter 66 is in fluid 
communication with a bore 70 which extends completely longitudinally 
through the adapter 66. The lower end of the adapter 66 is centrally 
disposed within the housing 54 of the valve 52. The distal most end of the 
adapter 66 has a U generally cylindrically shaped configuration thereto, 
which mates with a flexible tubular conduit 71 which itself extends 
through the generally longitudinal center of the valve member 52. The 
flexible conduit 71 has an open end 72 which is generally coincidental 
with the open end of the lower end 62 of the valve 52. 
The adapter 66 has a side portion 74 with an opening 76 therein. The 
opening 76 permits communication between the bore 70 of the adapter 66 
from outside thereof. 
A septum 78 made of a resilient plastic or rubber material mates over and 
covers the orifice 76 on the side 74 of the adapter 66, is shown in FIG. 
2. The septum 78 is arranged so as to seal the opening 76 from any outside 
air or contamination and allows penetration by a needle or the like. An 
annular groove 80 around the side portion 74 on the adapter 66 receives a 
ridge 82 of the septum 78 to ensure the seal thereinbetween. 
A slide release or slider 84 extends through an opening 86 in the front 
panel 56. The slider 84 is arranged transversely across the longitudinal 
fluid flow path in the valve 52. The slider 84 has a pair of sidewalls 88, 
only one shown in FIG. 2 and a pair of transverse walls 92 that extend 
between the sidewalls 88, which all define an opening 90 disposed 
therebetween. The flexible conduit or tube 71 is arranged to be disposed 
within the opening 90 in the slider 84. A pair of brackets 93 and 95 are 
disposed above and beneath the slider 84, respectively. The brackets 93 
and 95 extend only partly transversely across the body of the valve 
housings 56 and 58. A nub 94 is arranged on the lower outside edge of the 
opening 86 on the front housing 56. A faceplate 96 is disposed on the 
distalmost end of the slider 84. A spring 98 is disposed between the back 
side of the face plate 96 and the nub 94, so as to continuously bias the 
slider 84 outwardly from the valve 52. The flexible resilient conduit 71 
is biased in the pinched closed condition by being pressed against the 
pair of brackets 93 and 95 on the front half 56 of the housing 54, by the 
proximalmost wall 92 across the end of the slider 84. 
The back half 58 of the housing 54 may have a frangible panel 100 adjacent 
the slider 84. The panel 100 may have a tab member 102 which extends 
inwardly towards the center of the valve 52 and near the proximalmost wall 
92 of the slider 84. 
During use of the urine meter assembly 20, urine is first retained in the 
receptacle 22 for initial volume measurement thereof. Actual sampling of 
the urine for further testing will usually be necessary. As is most often 
the case, only small samples, say in the range of 2 to 10 milliliters are 
needed. This may be done by inserting a needle syringe through the septum 
78 so as to retrieve the fresh urine which is collected within the bore 70 
of the valve 52 at the bottom of the receptacle 22. The needle may be 
merely inserted through the resealable septum 78 through the orifice 76 
and the front portion 74 of the adapter 66 until it reaches the bore 70, 
whereupon the small sample may be taken. The path for this sampling is 
also shown in FIG. 3 wherein the septum 78 shows access to the orifice 6 
and the bore 70 of the valve 52. 
When larger urine samples are required to be taken, such as for specific 
gravity tests of the urine, wherein 30 to 40 milliliters of fresh urine 
may need to be removed, the slider 84 may be pressed inwardly against the 
biasing action of the spring 98 so as to open the flexible tube and 
unpinch it, thus permitting rapid drainage of the rigid receptacle 22. 
Unfortunately however, this action may permit the possibility of 
contamination of the rigid receptacle 22. It is important to utilize the 
slider 84 for taking urine samples as infrequently as possible. It is also 
very important to know that a large sample has been taken when one 
actually has been done! Thus the valve opening indication means such as 
the frangible panel on the back half of the housing 58 may be utilized to 
show that the slider 84 has been pressed inwardly so as to fracture the 
frangible panel 100 by pressing against the tab 102 thereof. 
A frangible panel would discourage the easy (or lazy) way of taking a small 
urine sample and make evident the use of such a procedure and indicate the 
possibility of contamination. The bag or collection system 20 could then 
be changed or other necessary actions undertaken. 
Other slider evident means for valve opening means may be arranged around 
the valve housing 54 as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2, such as a heat 
shrinkable band 110 which may be disposed about the periphery of the valve 
housing 54 and particularly about the back side of the back half of the 
housing 58. Thus if the slider 84 were pushed inwardly to open (unpinch) 
the flexible tubing 71, the tamper evident seal or band 110 would be torn 
or otherwise disturbed by the back wall 92 of the slider or something in 
the nature of a boss 105 on the backside of the slider 84 to indicate that 
the valve had been opened for flow of urine samples therethrough. 
One further embodiment of this urine collection bag assembly comprises the 
aforementioned valve 52 without the small sampling means or septum 78 in 
the valve housing 56. 
Thus there has been shown a novel arrangement for permitting small fresh 
samples to be taken from a urine meter, while also permitting larger fresh 
urine samples to be taken as required. The large sampler means however 
having utilization discouraging means therewith in order to inhibit 
medical personnel from taking small samples from the large sampler means 
which would possibly otherwise promote the possibility of contamination 
within the entire system.