Patent ID: 8303544

Claim:
Apparatus for creating a suprapubic surgical opening through an abdominal wall into a bladder and for placing a catheter in the surgical opening, comprising in combination: a hollow urethral sound having a distal end adapted for insertion within a urethra and the bladder and a proximal end adapted to remain outside of the urethra by which to manipulate the distal end of the sound within the bladder, the distal end of the sound having a sound tip; a wire having proximal and distal ends and movably positioned within the sound to selectively extend the distal end of the wire from the sound tip sufficiently to penetrate from the bladder through the abdominal wall and to expose an external portion of the distal end of the wire outside of the abdominal wall and to selectively retract the distal end of the wire toward the sound tip, the distal end of the wire which penetrates from the bladder through the abdominal wall establishing a path for the surgical opening; a cutting tool adapted to create the surgical opening by movement along the path of the wire through the abdominal wall and into the bladder to the sound tip, the cutting tool adapted to be moved out of the surgical opening along the path of the wire after creating the surgical opening, the cutting tool adapted to be connected outside of the abdominal wall for guidance along the path of the wire and adapted to be removed from the path of the wire from the outside of the abdominal wall after creating the surgical opening; the catheter having a distal end and a proximal end and a hollow portion extending between the distal end and the proximal end, the distal end of the catheter adapted to be placed through the surgical opening and into the bladder, the proximal end of the catheter adapted to remain outside of the surgical opening and the abdominal wall, and the hollow portion adapted to conduct liquid from the distal end of the catheter within the bladder to the proximal end of the catheter outside of the surgical opening and the abdominal wall, the distal end of the catheter including a catheter tip and an inflatable balloon; and a connector for connecting the catheter tip to the external portion of the distal end of the wire outside of the abdominal wall and for disconnecting the catheter tip from the distal end of the wire when the distal end of the catheter is located within the bladder; the connector permitting the distal end of the catheter to be guided from outside the abdominal wall through the surgical opening and into the bladder upon retraction of the wire within the sound; the connector permitting the balloon to be inflated within the bladder while the distal end of the wire remains connected to the catheter tip within the bladder; and the connector permitting drainage of liquid in the bladder from the distal end of the catheter through the hollow portion to the proximal end of the catheter while the distal end of the wire remains connected to the catheter tip within the bladder.