US3347238A - Female urinary drain - Google Patents

Description

00L 1967 v. D. GRESHAM FEMALE URINARY DRAIN Filed March 23, 1965 IPfQ v lil INVENTOR. VIRGINIA D. GRESHAM FIGS United States Patent Ofifice 3,347,238 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 3,347,238 FEMALE URINMKY DRAIN Virginia D. Gresham, 84--12 th Ave., Jackson Heights, NY. 11372 Filed Mar. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 442,002 10 Claims. (Cl. 128-295) This invention relates to urinary drains for bed-ridden patients, and relates more particularly to a novel construction for a female urinary drain.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part herein-after and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a preferred embodiment of female urinary drain of this invention as applied to a female body of which the pelvic portion is indicated in dash-dot lines;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation and to an enlarged scale of the embodimnet of FIG. 1, the view also showing in dash-dotlines. the position normally occupied by a part of the drain when not in use;

FIG. 3 is a view in plan of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is. a view in section taken along the line 55 of FIG. 2.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a female urinary drain that may be applied to a bed-ridden female by any one using practical judgment and consideration and without the need for special medical training; that will lessen the number of occasions when catheterizing of a bed-ridden female with all of its attendant pain and discomfort and with its dependency on trained medical personnel, must be practiced; that will subject the wearer to a minimum of discomfort; that will be proof against leakage under practically all conditions of normal usage and thus obviate urine irritation and consequent bed sores; and that will be of simple and inexpensive construction so as to have a low cost of manufacture and so as to make frequent disposal and replacement of the drain an economically feasible practice.

Other and further objects of this invention will appear from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, an elongated flexible vaginal insert member 1 of a suitable flexible material and having, in transverse cross-section, a rounded bottom 2 and a flat top 3, is apertured adjacent one of its ends to provide a drain opening 4 extending from top to bottom. Preferably, the ends 5 and 6 of the member 1 are suitably rounded and the top 3 is preferably serrated from side-to-side to provide a series of transverse parallel serrations 7. Preferably, the serrations 7 occupy the entire area of the top 3 of the member 1 and serve to give to the member a degree of elasticity for vaginal adjusting and movability when the patient is in a sitting or supine position.

The member 1 as depicted in solid lines in FIGS. 1-4 is in what may be termed an open of flexed position.

This is in contrast to its closed or unflexed position which is indicated in dash-dot lines in FIG. 2. Normally, the member 1 will lie in a semi-coiled or doughnut shape due to the inherent resiliency and flexibility of the ma terial of which it is constructed. Preferably, it is constructed of soft natural rubber because of its elasticity and because it will not harm the skin. Moreover, the use of soft natural rubber permits of steam sterilizatin, if reuse is desired.

An additional degree of stiifness is imparted to the insert member 1 by means of a stiffening member in the form of a rod or wire 8 embedded in the insert member. The stiffening member 8 is normally curved in the common plane of the longitudinal axis of the member 1 and the axis of the aperture 4 so as to maintain the member 1 in the closed position shown by the dash-dot lines in FIG. 2. It will be apparent that when the member 1 is uncoiled'from its unflexed position by bending into the solid line flexed position shown in FIGS. 1-4, it will tend to return to its closed position due to both to the inherent resiliency of the member per se and the added resiliency provided by the rod member 8. The rod member 8 is preferably made of metal or of a suitable plastic resin material offering the requisite degree of stiffness and strength.

The rod member 8 terminates at the aperture 4 in a ring 9 extending circumferentially of the aperture and thus serves to stiffen and maintain the soft resilient material surrounding the aperture, against undue deformation in use.

The insert member 1 is joined to the neck 10 of a urine receptacle 11, preferably integrally during manufacture. The receptacle 11 is provided with a series of accordion folds 12 extending circumferentially to permit of expansion of the receptacle in use. A drain tube 13 integral with and of the same soft flexible material as the receptacle leads from the receptacle and may be of whatever length is desired. The tube 13 is adapted to lead to a suitable receptacle for the collection of urine drained from the receptacle 11.

As will be obvious from FIGS. 2 and 4, the combined stiffness imparted to the vaginal insert member 1 adjacent to the aperture 4 by the material of which the member is formed and by the rod member 8 with its stiffening ring 9, results in the insert member 1 having a relatively straight portion 14 extending for a short distance outwardly from the aperture 4. The straight portion 14 merges smoothly into a curved portion 15 to be received within the vaginal orifice 16 indicated in FIG. 1.

This straight portion 14 is of a length to span, in use, the distance between the urethral orifice 17 and the vaginal orifice 16.

The curved portion 15, upon insertion fully into place in the vaginal orifice, holds the straight portion 14 firmly against the body with the aperture 4 aligned with the terminimum of the urethral orifice. Thus, urine voided by the patient will pass through the aperture 4 and neck 10 into the receptacle 11. The top annular area 18 forms a pressure ring surrounding the aperture 4.

To attach the urinary drain of this invention to the female body the female is disposed in a supine position and the curved vaginal insert member 1 then inserted into the vaginal orifice and adjusted until the pressure ring area 18 is disposed around the urethral orifice. The resilience of the member 1 coupled with the incised serrations 7 will allow for external and internal adjusting of the member 1 without lessening the pressure exerted by the pressure ring 18 around the urethral orifice. The pressure ring 18 will give the drain a waterproof binding to the body.

Should urine voided by the wearer not be conducted away from the receptacle 1 as rapidly as desired either because of the position of the patient or because of kinking of the drain tube 13, or for any other reason, the accordion folds 12 of the receptacle 11 will permit of expansion of the receptacle and accumulation of urine to a more or less limited degree pending clearance of the drainage system.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that there has been provided a greatly improvedfemale urinary drain that encourages natural urination by bed-ridden female patients and which is particularly adaptable for use by them because its application does not require the exercise of any medical skill and because it keeps the bedding dry and thereby prevents urine irritation, bed sores and general discomfort.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. In a female urinary drain adapted for attachment to the female body, the combination comprising: a receptacle of a pliable relatively thin elastic material providing a cavity for receiving urine voided by the user, said receptacle having spaced-apart openings; a doubleended, flexible, normally curved vaginal insert member having connection with said receptacle at one of said openings; and a flexible drain hose having connection with said receptacle at the other, said member being curved in its axial plane from one of its ends over a major portion of its length and being relatively straight over its remaining minor portion, said member having, in transverse cross-section, a curved bottom and a flat top, said member also having an aperture in said minor portion of its length adjacent the other of its ends, said aperture extending from top to bottom of said member and communicating with said receptacle at said one opening, the portion of the top surface of said member around said aperture providing a pressure ring for forming a watertight joint with the female body around the urethral orifice thereof.

2. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 1, a stiffening member embedded in said vaginal orifice member and having a stiffening ring surrounding said aperture.

3. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 1, the top surface portion of said vaginal orifice member being serrated transversely of the longitudinal axis of said member.

4. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 1, said receptacle having accordion folds for expansion of said receptacle under pressure of urine collected in the cavity of said receptacle.

5. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 1, said vaginal insert member, said receptacle and said drain tube being a unitary integral structure.

6. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 5. said members and said drain being formed of natural rubber.

7. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 1, the ends of said vaginal insert member being rounded.

8. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 1, a curved resilient stiffening member embedded in said vaginal insert member, said stiffening member being curved in the common plane of the longitudinal axis of said vaginal insert member and the axis of said aperture.

9. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 1, said stiffening member being a metal rod and the curvature of said vaginal insert member in said common plane being such that the top surface of said insert member lies on the inner side of the curved member.

10. In a female urinary drain in accordance with claim 1, said minor straight portion of said vaginal insert member being dimensioned along its length to equal substantially the span between the vaginal and urethral ori fices of the female body to which the drain is to be at tached.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 196,473 10/1963 Hill 83-1 2,483,079 9/1949 Williams 128-295 3,072,125 1/1963 OBrien 128-295 3,116,734 1/1964 Terman 1284-295 OTHER REFERENCES John Reynders & Co., catalogue of 1895, p. 363.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

C. F. ROSENBAUM, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A FEMALE URINARY DRAIN ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE FEMALE BODY, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A RECEPTACLE OF A PLIABLE RELATIVELY THIN ELASTIC MATERAIAL PROVIDING A CAVITY FOR RECEIVING URINE VOIDED BY THE USER, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING SPACED-APART OPENINGS; A DOUBLEENDED, FLEXIBLE NORMALLY CURVED VAGINAL INSERT MEMBER HAVING CONNECTED WITH SAID RECEPTACLE AT ONE OF SAID OPENINGS; AND A FLEXIBLE DRAIN HOSE HAVING CONNECTION WITH SAID RECEPTACLE AT THE OTHER, SAID MEMBER BEING CURVED IN ITS AXIAL PLANE FROM ONE OF ITS ENDS OVER A MAJOR PORTION OF ITS LENGTH AND BEING RELATIVELY STRAIGHT OVER ITS REMAINING MINOR PORTION, SAID MEMBER HAVING, IN TRANSVERSE CROSS-SECTION, A CURVED BOTTOM AND A FLAT TOP, SAID MEMBER ALSO HAVING AN APERTURE IN SAID MINOR PORTION OF ITS LENGTH ADJACENT THE OTHER OF ITS ENDS, SAID APER-

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