WO1993008765A1

WO1993008765A1 - Incontinence valve

Info

Publication number: WO1993008765A1
Application number: PCT/DE1992/000892
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Bader
Original assignee: Paul Bader
Priority date: 1991-10-28
Filing date: 1992-10-27
Publication date: 1993-05-13
Also published as: AU2806892A; DE4135502C1

Abstract

An incontinence valve is formed by an elongated valve body provided with a longitudinal through-bore and insertable over its entire length into the urethra. The valve body is retained in the urethra by at least one membrane (4) that surrounds the valve body and upon which pressure may be applied. The longitudinal bore (14) in the valve body has an open and a closed end. In the area of the closed end is arranged an opening (17) in communication with the longitudinal bore and provided with shutting off means (18).

Description

INCONTINENCE VALVE

The invention relates to an incontinence valve according to the preamble of claim 1.

From DE-PS 38 21 631 a closure for a male urethra is known, which is formed by an elongated body to be inserted into the urethra and fastened therein. The elongated body is cylindrical and forms a valve body which has a continuous longitudinal bore. It is closed at its distal end with a releasable stopper in a liquid-tight manner. With a thread that is worked into the stopper and protrudes from the stopper in a ring shape, the stopper can be removed from the valve body for “urination”. The plug is then pushed back into the distal end of the valve body and thereby closed.

As advantageous as this incontinence valve is when it is used, the way in which the incontinence valve is opened and closed can sometimes cause difficulties, particularly in the case of older incontinence patients. It is disadvantageous that, on the one hand, pulling the plug out or pushing it in or out of the valve body can cause pain, in particular due to the pull or pressure that the incontinence valve exerts on the urethral wall at this moment. Secondly, older people may have difficulty finding the thread that pulls the plug out of the valve body got to. However, it can also be difficult to seal the valve body tightly again with the relatively small plug. And here again it should not be so easy or not so easy to insert the relatively small plug into the equally small opening of the valve body.

It is the object of this invention to improve an incontinence valve in such a way that it can be opened and closed again easily and painlessly, especially by older people, the closure being designed to be absolutely tight, and that the closure is simple and in this Size can also be produced in a functional manner.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the characterizing features of claim 1.

The connection opening with a shut-off device arranged in the region of the closed end of the valve body makes a stopper unnecessary. The disadvantage that a stopper brings with it, namely pain in the urethra caused by tension or pressure on the urethral wall, is eliminated with the device according to the invention. The shut-off device also eliminates the difficulties in removing and reinserting the plug into the opening of the valve body.

In an embodiment according to the invention, the shut-off device can be designed to be movable, the movement being a rotary movement, a sliding movement or a rotating sliding movement. Opening and closing a through opening with a movable mechanism is simple and easy, even for older people. A movable shut-off device is not difficult, but easy to operate, especially in a region that is difficult to see, as can be the case with a urethral exit. A shut-off device with a rotary slide movement can in particular be a threaded or a bayonet lock.

-7- In a further embodiment of the invention, the shut-off device can be formed by two tubes which move one inside the other, the two tubes having radially arranged, congruent openings.

This type of shut-off device is a simple and practical design for an elongated valve body with an inner longitudinal bore. The proposed shut-off device is thus movable in itself. Both tubes can be arranged close to the inner wall of the longitudinal bore so that the free passage of the longitudinal bore is not significantly hindered and / or narrowed. If the openings lying opposite one another, which are arranged radially in the tube walls, are congruent, the connection opening is opened. When the openings move by at least the free opening area from one another, the openings of one pipe lie opposite the pipe wall of the other pipe, so that the shut-off device is closed. Sealing devices in both pipes or even only in one of the two pipes prevent leakage of liquid when the shut-off device is closed. The shut-off device is therefore movable in itself by radial twisting or by axial shifting or by coupled twisting or pushing of the two tubes running into one another.

Furthermore, it can be advantageous for the invention if the closed end is arranged at the proximal end of the valve body, the connection opening with the shut-off device being arranged radially in the valve body wall directly in front of a valve head closing the longitudinal bore.

The connection opening from the urethra into the longitudinal bore of the valve body is placed in the area of the proximal end of the valve body and can also be closed immediately there. The distal end of the valve body is not closed, that is, it is open. In the event of a leak on or in the incontinence valve, liquid escapes from the open end. The open end thus has, as it were, a control function over the functionality of the incontinence valve. And this is a further advantage. "-? _> - Accordingly, urine enters the valve body at the proximal end of the valve body, and the shut-off device, the actual closure of the incontinence valve, is also attached there at the same time.

The connection opening is arranged radially on the circumference of the valve body. This means that the liquid flows radially into the valve body, is deflected there at an angle of approximately 90 degrees and is then guided axially through the valve body to the end of it in the longitudinal bore.

The longitudinal bore is closed by the valve head fixedly attached to the proximal end. The valve head is designed so that it promotes pain-free insertion of the incontinence valve into the urethra. Several grooves or the like are provided on the outer circumference of the valve head, the sum of the cross section of the grooves corresponding approximately to the passage cross section of the connection opening or the longitudinal bore. The grooves form the path for the fluid from the urethra to the connection opening.

Furthermore, it can be advantageous that the membrane is formed by an inner control membrane lying against the valve body and by a holding membrane surrounding the control membrane, the holding membrane and the control membrane being approximately of the same size, and that the holding membrane and the control membrane are partially connected to one another in a liquid-tight and / or gas-tight manner.

The membrane has the sealing and fastening function of the incontinence valve in the urethra. The division of the diaphragm into the holding diaphragm and the control diaphragm, as well as a tight connection between the two diaphragms at the edges, is important because of the absolutely secure sealing of the incontinence valve to the urethra. A further, radially sealed connection on the inner surfaces of the two membranes forms individual holding chambers which can be filled and emptied independently of one another. If a holding chamber leaks, the remaining holding chambers still hold the incontinence valve tightly in the urethra. - _ With the proposed incontinence valve had been an improvement ^¬ tion is at incontinence valve proposed by which a prob¬ lemloses and pain-free operation of the incontinence valve such as the valve is opened "to urinate" and anschließen¬ the reclosing is made possible. In terms of construction, the shut-off device forming the closure is simple and safe. This shut-off device can also be produced in an appropriate, small design for an incontinence valve. Of course, it would also be possible to design the shut-off device with a magnetic, electrical or electrostatic design (principle of attraction and repulsion).

Advantageous further developments and inventive developments result from the exemplary embodiment shown below in principle with reference to the drawing.

It shows:

FIG. 1 shows the device according to the invention in a side view in section on an enlarged scale,

FIG. 2 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 1 at A-A,

FIG. 3 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 1 at B-B,

FIG. A shows a variant of the device according to FIG. 1 in a side view in section on an enlarged scale,

FIG. 5 shows a section through the device according to FIG. A at A-A,

FIG. 6 shows a section through the device according to FIG. A at B-B,

7 shows a further variant of the device according to FIG

1 in side view in section in an enlarged representation, FIG. 8 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 7 at AA,

FIG. 9 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 7 at B-B,

FIG. 10 shows a further variant of the device according to the invention in a side view in section in an enlarged view,

11 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 10 at BB _r

FIG. 12 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 10 at A-A,

FIG. 13 shows a further variant of the device according to the invention in a side view in section,

FIG. 14 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 13 at A-A,

FIG. 15 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 13 at B-B,

FIG. 16 shows a further variant of the device according to the invention in a side view in section,

Figure 17 shows a section through the device of Figure 16 at A-A.

-e - An incontinence valve is formed by a valve body 2 which has a continuous longitudinal bore 1A. The longitudinal bore 1A is open at its distal end and closed by a valve head 1 at its proximal end. A switching tube 5 and a valve cover 6 are connected to form a tube in the valve body 2. The switching tube 5 and the valve cover 6 lie closely but movably on the inner jacket of the valve body 2. Openings 12 are arranged in the switching tube 5 and openings 13 are arranged in the valve body 2, which are congruent at a precisely determined position and thus form the connection opening 17. The congruence of the openings 12 and the openings 13 is determined by a stop 9. In the valve cover 6, an extension 8 is removably attached.

In the valve body 2, conical bores 15 are provided, in each of which a mushroom head 7 is arranged. A membrane 3, A is formed by an inner control membrane 3, which bears against the valve body 2, and a holding membrane A, which surrounds the control membrane 3. The control membrane 3 and the holding membrane A are sealingly connected to one another at the connection points 19. Bores 16 are provided in the control diaphragm 3, through which the holding diaphragm A can be pressurized via the conical bores 15 and the mushroom heads 7. The pressure is applied by means of a pump, not shown. In the pressurized state, the individual holding chambers 10 are formed. The pressure relief of the holding chambers also takes place with the pump (not shown) via the conical bores 15 and the mushroom heads 7.

Figures 1, 2, 3 show an incontinence valve according to the invention in which the shut-off device 18 of the connection opening 17 is closed. The shut-off device 18 is shown in Figure 3, shows openings 12 in the switching tube 5, which are arranged offset by the angle Ψ with respect to the openings 13 in the valve body 2. The switching tube 5 is designed to be radially movable relative to the valve body 2, namely by the angle Ψ. Due to the radial movement of the switching tube 5 in the valve body 2, the shut-off device 18 becomes the connecting opening

17 actuated, that is opened or closed. If the switching tube 5 with the valve cover 6 is rotated through the extension 8 through the angle V up to the stop 9, the openings 12, 13 lie exactly one above the other and are congruent, so that the shut-off device 18 is open. By turning back the switching tube 5 and the valve cover 6 with the help of the extension 8 by the angle Ψ, the shut-off device

18 closed again. The shut-off device 18 (according to FIG. 3) requires a flat seal against the openings 12, 13. The extension 8 can be removed. The valve cover 6 can also be removed. This is necessary to make the mushroom heads J accessible.

The variant shown in FIGS. A, 5 and 6 has a modification of the shut-off device 18, the connecting opening 17, compared to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. As shown in Figure 6, here only the valve body 2 has openings 13 »In the scarf tube 5 there are no openings. The shut-off device 18 is opened by pulling the parts 8, 6, 5 towards the distal side as far as the stop 9. The shut-off device 18 is closed by moving the parts 8, 6 and 5 to the proximal side of the incontinence valve.

In this embodiment, an annular seal on the left and right opposite the openings 12, 13 is sufficient.

The variant according to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 is essentially the same as the embodiment according to FIGS. 1-3; only the locking mechanism of the shut-off device 18

X- the connection opening 17 is changed. While the valve head 1 is fastened to the valve body 2 in FIGS. 1 and A, the valve head 1 in the embodiment according to FIG. 7 is fastened to the switching tube 5.

7, 8 and 9, the shut-off device 18 of the connection opening 17 is shown in the open position. By pulling the parts 8, 6 and 5 towards the distal side as far as the stop 9, the shut-off device 18 of the connection opening 17 is closed.

In this case, the shut-off device 18 only requires an annular seal (not shown) at the proximal end of the valve body 2 between the latter and the switching tube 5.

So that the liquid (urine) can get from the urethra to the connection opening 17 are on the outer circumference of the valve head

I grooves 20 are provided, the cross section of which corresponds approximately to the passage cross section of the connecting opening 17 or the longitudinal bore 1A.

As shown in FIG. 1, the holding membrane A is configured like a bellows in the pressure-loaded state. Between the urethral wall (not shown) and the holding membrane A, annular channels are formed which can be used as medical chambers 11. In these medical chambers

II medical liquids, e.g. for the prevention or treatment of inflammation of the urethral wall or other imponderables which may possibly occur with the use of the subject matter of the invention. The medical fluid is introduced into the medical chambers 11 and the pressure medium is introduced into the holding chambers 10 by means of a special pump (not shown) and openings and passages provided for this purpose within the incontinence valve according to the invention.

-5- FIGS. 10 to 17 show variant implementations of the object according to the invention.

For example, FIG. 10 shows an embodiment for particularly forgetful (old) people who might forget to close the main valve. The main valve is automatically closed by the closing spring (compression spring) 25 in the non-actuated state.

The figure symbols mean: 9 = stop (distal side = cone; proximal side = end face); 21 = additional hole for the urine supply to the main valve; 23 = at least one fixing notch in the end face of the valve body 2; 24 = guide bolt for the closing spring; the bolt is set so that it covers the vent hole 27 in the open state; 26 = sealing surface between the switching tube 5 and the valve head 1; 27 = vent hole; 25 = closing spring (compression spring). 17: in FIGS. 10, 13 and 16, the openings 12 can be radially two

Openings 13 in the valve body 2 correspond. When the main valve is opened, by pushing the tube 8 against the proximal stop (switching tube 5 against valve head 1), the urine can flow, regardless of the radial position from the switching tube 5 to valve head 1.

The exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 shows a shut-off device 18 which can be moved in the longitudinal direction on an incontinence valve. The additional figure symbols mean: 28 = scenery groove; 29 = link pin; 30 = plastic spring element. This spring element generates a tension on the stop 9 when the link pin 29 engages. As a result, the shut-off device is kept closed by spring force.

- o FIGS. 16 and 17 show, in a variant embodiment, an incontinence valve with a shut-off device 18 in the form of a threaded closure 31. The threaded closure 31 is designed in such a way that after a short turn the threads become free and the closure opens the rest - Can be pushed away. A quick-release fastener with a predetermined angular position from the openings 12 and 13 to one another is also possible.

- 4 -

Claims

PATEN TA NSPRÜ CHE

1.) Incontinence valve, which is formed by an elongated valve body to be inserted into the urethra along its entire length with a continuous longitudinal bore, the valve body being held in the urethra with at least one diaphragm which can be pressurized and surrounding the valve body, and that the longitudinal bore has an open and a closed end in the valve body, characterized in that a connection opening (17) for the longitudinal bore (1A) is arranged in the region of the closed end, and that the connection opening (17) has a shut-off device (18).

2.) Incontinence valve according to claim 1 d a d u r c h g e k e n e z e i c h n e t that the shut-off device (18) is designed to be movable.

3.) Incontinence valve according to claim 1 or 2 d a d u r c h g e k e n e z e i c h n e t that the shut-off device (18) is designed to be rotatable or sliding or as a rotational longitudinal movement.

-Λl- A.) incontinence valve according to one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the shut-off device (18) is formed by two movable tubes (2 + 5, 6) which run radially and have radially arranged congruent openings (12, 13) .

5.) Incontinence valve according to one of claims 1-A, characterized in that the closed end is arranged at the proximal end of the Ventil¬ body (2), and that the connecting opening (17) immediately in front of one, the longitudinal bore (1A) closing Valve head (1) is arranged radially in the wall of the valve body (2).

6.) incontinence valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the membrane (3, A) of an inner, on the valve body (2) adjacent control membrane (3) and one, the control membrane (3) enclosing retaining membrane (A) is formed , wherein the holding membrane (A) and the control membrane (3) are of approximately the same size, and that the holding membrane (A) and the control membrane (3) are partially connected to one another in a liquid-tight and / or gas-tight manner.

~ Λ -