CATHETER CLEANER

Abstract: A catheter cleaner comprises an elongate cleaner means, formed for insertion into a catheter (22) passed through the urethra. The cleaner means is formed for cleaning the catheter by manual rotating of the cleaner means around its axis by a gripping part (10) situated outside the catheter.

Description: Catheter Cleaner The present invention relates to a catheter cleaner. In difficult urination, e.g. due to an enlarged prostate gland (prostatism) catheters are used to empty the bladder, until the trouble has been remedied by an operation. Prostatism is usual among older men, and the Swedish health service uses a large number, of the order of magnitude 900.000 catheters of different kinds. The catheters used consist of a rubber tube of a certain stiffness which is inserted through the urethra into the bladder. A problem causing large costs for the healt service, and suffering for the patient, is that clogging occurs in the catheters. So far, it has been attempted to dissolve blockages formed in this way in the catheter by injecting a saline solution into it. However, this method is not very effective, and the catheter must usually be exchanged when a blockage occurs. Catheter exchanges are painful to the patient and must be carried out by medically trained healthcare personnel, such as doctors or nurses, and results in large costs. A catheter exchange thus costs between 500 and 1.000 Crowns. Another attempt to reduce the problem with clogging in the catheter is by using a larger catheter. This increases the discomfort caused to the patient, and only delays the formation of a blockage in the catheter. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned problem. This object is achieved with a catheter cleaner according to claim 1. There is accordingly achieved by the present invention a catheter cleaner, the use of which is so simple that the patient himself, a relative, a "home help" or the like can clean the catheter regularly, e.g. once a week, thus to avoid blockages with accompanying catheter exchanges. With the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention, catheter cleaning can thus take place in the home without the assistance of specially, medically trained personnel, as well as in a hospital .or other health care institution. In addition, the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention is simple and cheap to produce and signifies a surprisingly cheap solution, seen altogether, to a problem affecting a very large number of people. Health care costs decrease for these people, their work performance increases, they acquire greater confidence in social situations and in working life, and the psychological and physical suffering in connection with prostatism decreases in general . The risk of urine drops is reduced by the invention, and cheaper catheters can be used. Since the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention is cheap and simple to manufacture, it is produced for throw-away use and is supplied in a sterile package. As the risk of the catheter clogging has been eliminated with the present invention, it is also possible to use thinner catheters, which reduces the patient's discomfort. According to an advantageous further development of the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention, the cleaner means includes a filament of comparatively stiff material, which is bent in the region where the catheter opens out into the bladder, when the catheter is applied in the urethra for cleaning the opening by rotating the filament, since the opening region is particularly subjected to clogging. A very essential property of the catheter cleaner according to the invention is that the cleaner means is formed such that it cannot be inserted "too far" into the catheter so that it could reach into the bladder. The cleaner means according to advantageous embodiments of the invention is for this reason provided with stop means which, by engagement against the catheter, stop any further insertion of the cleaner means when it has arrived at its completely inserted position. In accordance with further embodiments of the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention, the bent configuration of the end part of the filament may serve as such a stop means. The filament can also be bent in such a way and at such a distance from the insertion tip that this bend can only be inserted in an expanded outer connection portion of the catheter, and thus serves as a stop against insertion too far of the cleaning means by abutting against the catheter wall where the connection portion merges into the catheter tube itself. The grip part for rotating the cleaner means can also be formed as a crank, according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the crank part serving as a stop against insertion too for of the cleaner means by abutment against the outer end of the catheter. Of course, the filamenet can be constructed with all three of the above-mentioned stop means, thereby achieving complete safety against inserting the cleaning means too far, which could damage the bladder. According to another advantageous embodiment of the catheter cleaner according to the invention, the outer portion of the cleaner means from the bend and outwards may be provided with a greater thickness than the portion of the cleaner means intended to be inserted in the catheter itself. The increased thickness can be achieved by applying a plastic tube on the outside of the outer portion of the cleaner means. Further increased safety against insertion of the cleaner means too far is thus obtained, and a better grip on the grip part is obtained for rotating the cleaner means. Embodiments of the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention, selected as examples, will now be described in more detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, where Figure 1 schematically illustrates an embodiment of the catheter cleaner inserted in a catheter. Figure 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the inner end portion of the cleaner means. Figure 3 illustrates a still further embodiment of the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention, inseerted in a catheter, Figure 4 illustrates the use of the embodiment according to Figure 3. Figure 5 illustrates another embodiment with an enlarged outer portion of the cleaner means. Figure 1 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention, inserted in a catheter. The catheter cleaner comprises a filament 2 of comparatively stiff material, but with a certain flexibility for enabling insertion into the catheter also when this is curved during use. A suitable filament material may be a PVC plastics. The end portion of the filament 2 is formed into a bent configuration 4, which cleans the region of the opening 8 of the catheter 6 when the cleaner means is inserted inside the catheter. The region of the opening is particularly subjected to blockage by salts in the urine crystallising and forming deposits there. At the outer portion of the cleaner means there is a gripping part in the form of a crank 10 formed for rotating the filament 2 around its axis, see also Figure 4. Rotation of the cleaner means thus provides cleaning the catheter 6 and effective cleaning of the opening 8 by the bent configuration 4. It is essential that the cleaner means is formed such that the risk for insertion too far thereof is eliminated, since otherwise the cleaner means could penetrate into the bladder, where damage could then occur. In the embodiment according tro Figure 1, the bent configuration 4 will serve as stop means preventing further insertion of the cleaner means, as soon as the bent configuration reaches the area of the catheter opening 8. In Figure 2 there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of the inner portion of the cleaner means for cleaning the opening region of the catheter. In this embodiment, the end portion 12 of the filament 2 is simply bent to a given angle. The bent part 12 serves to effectively clean the opening region when the cleaner means is rotated. A third embodiment of the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention is illustrated in Figure 3 inserted in a conventional kind of catheter. The cleaner means is provided at its inner end portion with a bent configuration 14 for cleaning the catheter opening 8 by rotating the cleaner means by the crank 10. In the embodiment according to Figure 3, the cleaner means is formed with a further bent configuration 16 which can only be inserted in the expanded connection portion 18 of the catheter, and serves as a stop against too far insertion of the cleaner means by abutting against the catheter wall in the transition region 20 between the expanded connection portion 18 and the catheter 22 itself. In addition, the gripping part formed as a crank 10 is disposed such that the crank part 24 also serves as a stop against too far insertion of the cleaner means into the catheter by abutting against the catheter end 26. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, there is thus triple security against too far insertion of the cleaner means, by the cleaning configuration 14 in the catheter opening 8, the bent configuration 16 and the crank 10 which function as three stops. The use of the catheter according to Figure 3 is illustrated in Figure 4 by rotating the cleaner means using the crank 10. A still further embodiment of the cleaner means of the catheter cleaner in accordance with the invention is illustrated in Figure 5, the outer portion of the cleaner means from the bent configuration 16 and outwards having been given a greater thickness, by having a plastic tube 28 applied on the outside of the filament 2. By this thickening or enlargement of the outer part of the cleaner means, there is achieved further security against too far insertion of the cleaner means into the catheter, since the enlarged part 28 cannot be inserted in the catheter itself. The crank part 10 will aslo be easier to grip, due to its increased thickness.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Catheter cleaner, characterized in that an elongate cleaner means is formed for insertion into a catheter passed through the urethra, said cleaner means being formed for cleaning the catheter by manual rotation of the cleaner means about its axis by a gripping part situated outside the catheter. 2. Catheter cleaner as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cleaner means comprises a filament of comparatively stiff material, but with a certain flexibility for enabling insertion in a curved catheter. 3. Catheter cleaner as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the filament material is PVC plastics. 4. Catheter cleaner as claimed in claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the filament is bent in the region where the catheter opens out into the bladder, when the catheter has been passed through the urethra, for cleaning said catheter opening when the filament is rotated. 5. Catheter cleaner as claimed in any one of the claims 1-4, characterized in that the cleaner means has one or more stop or stops, which by engagement against the catheter stop or stops the cleaner means in its completely inserted position. 6. Catheter cleaner as claims in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the bent configuration serves as a stop by abutting against the catheter wall behind the opening. 7. Catheter cleaner as claims in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the filamenet is bent at such a distance from its insertion tip that the bent can be inserted in an expanded outer connection portion of the catheter, and serves as a stop against too far insertion of said cleaner means by abutting against the catheter wall in the transition region between the expanded connection portion and the catheter itself. 8. Catheter cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the grip part is formed as a crank for rotating said cleaner means, the crank part being formed as a stop against too far insertion of the cleaner means by abutting against the outer end of the catheter. 9. Catheter cleaner as claimed in claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the outer portion of said cleaner means from the bent configuration and outwards has greater thickness than the portion of said cleaner means situated inside the bent configuration. 10. Catheter cleaner as claim 9, characterized in that the plastics tube is applied on the outside of said outer portion of said cleaner means to give this portion a greater thickness.

Inventors: LOEVQVIST BO, LOEVQVIST, BO
Applicants: LOEVQVIST BO, LOEVQVIST, BO
Application year: 1989
Main classification: A61M25
IPC codes: A61B19, A61M25, B08B9