Patent ID: 8105335

Claim:
An article of manufacture adapted for use in removal of a fecal impaction from a human being in need thereof and insertable into the rectum of said human being in need to manipulate the impaction, comprising: a body member, at least a portion of which extends outwardly of the rectum of the human being experiencing an impaction on insertion of a distal portion of the body member into the rectum by a user, an outwardly extending anterior portion of the body member graspable by the user of the article to engage the impaction and to insert the distal portion of the article into the impaction; at least one dilation body carried by the body member distally of said body member to facilitate entry of the body member into the rectum of the human being in need of removal of the impaction; and, at least one grappling element carried by the body member on the distal portion of the body member and anteriorly of the at least one dilation body, the at least one grappling element gripping at least portions of the impaction, at least one end of the at least one grappling element extending outwardly of the body member a distance greater than a volumetric space defined by passage of the at least one dilation body on insertion of the distal portion of the body member into the rectum, the volumetric space being defined by the at least one dilation body in an uncompressed condition prior to insertion into the rectum of a human being in need of removal of the impaction, the at least one grappling element being compressible toward the body member to a position essentially within the volumetric space, the grappling element being abducted from the body member within the rectum to grip at least portions of the impaction on sufficient insertion of the at least one grappling element into the rectum of the human being in need and to remove at least portions of the impaction on withdrawal of the body member from the rectum of the human in need of impaction removal.