CA1057613A - Multi-chamber container for collecting urine from a plurality of catheters and method - Google Patents

Abstract

MULTI-CHAMBER CONTAINER FOR COLLECTING URINE
FROM A PLURALITY OF CATHETERS AND METHOD

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A multi-chamber container for collecting urine from different sources comprising a plurality of urine drainage tubes communicating with separate urine sources, a receptacle having a plurality of separate urine collection compartments, and means for separately connecting each of the drainage tubes to one of the separate compartments in order that urine passes from the drainage tubes to the compartments for retention therein.

Description

~576~3 ~: ~

The present invention relates to liquid drainage sy~-tems, and more particularly to li~uid collecti~n receptacles.
In the past, catheters have been used to dxain urine from a patient's ~ladder. In such a procedure, a distal e~d of ~ ~' the catheter, such as a Foley catheter, is insert~d through the patient's urethra intu the bladder, and a retention balloDn adja- :
cent the distal end o~ the catheter is inflated in the bladder to ~ :
retain the catheter in place. The catheter has a drainage eye `; '~
adjacent the distal end of the cathPter communicating with a `~
drainage lumen extending from the drainage eye to a proximal end .; of the catheter which remains outside ~he patient's body during use of the catheter. Accordingly, urine drain~ from the bladder -, through the drainage eye and lumen to~the proximal end of.the . j ..
j 15 catheter after which the urine is collected in a receptacle.
... .
i`On occasion it is necessary to dxain urine directly rom one or both of the patient's ureters or kidneys. For exam- ~;

~ple, subsequent to certain ureterotomy procedures a ureteral . ~atheter is passed through the urethra, bladder, and uretero- ;
, .
., 20 vPsicle junction, such that drainage eyes in the ureteral cathe-.
ter are located upstre~m from the surgical site, and possibly in the enlarged renal pelvis adjacent the kidney. Urine drains throu~h the drainage eyes and a drainage }umen extending through the ureteral catheter to a proximal end of the catheter outside ;~
the patient's body ~or collection of ~he urine. Th~s, contact of a substantial amount of urine against the surgical site in ~he ureter is prevented, ~he ~oley catheter is simultaneously use~ .
to drain urine passing from the uncatheterized ureter into the .. ,......................................... . -- .
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~ .

, ~ 0576~L3 bladder and to drain an~ residual urine from the ~atheterized ureter which might eventually lea~ be~ween the catheter and the ureter.
In the event that suraerv has bee~ performed on both ureters a second ureteral catheter is placed in the other ureter, and urine drains through both ~reteral catheters, while residual urine is drained from ~he bla~der through the Foley catheter, which may also be utilized to stabilize the ureteral catheters.
A pair of ureteral catheters may also be used after surgery on the bladder to prevent urine rom passing intv the bladder.
Similarly, ureteral catheters may be used for both ureters during a partial differential study, where the relative out~ut of urine from both kidneys is determined.
A principal feature of a device for callecting urine ;
constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is the provision of a multi-chamber container `

~. .... .. .
of simplified construction for collecting urine from a plurality ;-~

of catheters in a convenient and simplified manner.
.i. ~ .
According to one aspect of the present invention a multi~-chamber container for collecting urine from different ~;-sources comprises a plurality of urine drainage tubes communi-cating with separate urine sources, a receptacle ha~ing a plurality of separate urine collection compartments, and means for separately connecting each of said drainage tubes to one of said separate compartments for simultaneous passage of urine from the drainage tubes to the compartments and retention therein,~
said connecting means comprising a plurality of drip chambers cpn~
necting each of~said drainage tubes to a separate com~artment to prevent retrograde ~acterial movement from said compartments. `-. . ~ , Thus, a feature of a preferred embodiment of the pre~

sent invention is that urine drains through the catheters and :'; :

- 2 -., ,,.. , ~,.

:~57~3 drainage tubes to separate c~m~artments for collection therein.
Another feature of a preferred embodiment of the in-vention is that the relative amount of urine drained through each of the catheters may be readily determ~ned by the amount of urine collected in the compartments, Yet another feature of a preerred embodiment of the iDvention is that the separately collected urine i5 retained for separate diagnosis. -Still another feature of a preferred embodiment of the invention is that each of the drainage tubes may be connected to the compartments by separate drip chambers to prevent rPtro-grade bacterial movement from the compartments to the catheters.
A feature of a preferred embodiment of the invention ~-~
; is that each of the compartments may be separately ~ented.
Yet another ~eature of a preferred embodiment of the invention is that in one embodiment the compartments may be commonly vented.

~. ~
Another fea~ure of a preferred embodiment o~ the inven- ;

tion is the provision of a method for catheterizing a patient . .~ , s~ 20 with the container of the present invention. ;~
;~ Further features will become more fully apparent in the following description of the embodiments of this invention and from the appended claims.
- In the drawings:
Fig. l is a fragmentary plan view, taken partly in section, of one embodiment of a multi-chamber container ~nd . ", .
liquid drainage system of the present invention;

`~ ~ig. 2 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale, ~ taken partly in section, of a ureteral catheter in the liquid `--- 30 drainage system of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substan-tially as indicated al~ng the line 3-3 o~ Fig. l;
, . . .
~ ; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view, taken partly in ,~

~ection, of alternate venting means for the container of Fig. l;
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substanti-ally as indicated along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. S is a fraymentary plan view of~another embodIment of a multi-chamber container and li~uid drainage system of the present invention.
~ .

Referring now to Fig. 1, there i5 shown a liquid drain age system generally desi~nated 20 having a Foley or urinary cathe-ter 22, a ureteral catheter 24, a pair of drainage tubes 26 and 28,-~
~; and a container or receptacle 30. The Foley catheter 22 has a drainage eye 3? adjacent a distal end 34 of the catheter, and a drainage lumen 36 extending from the drainage eye 32 to a proxi-mal end 38 of the catheter. The catheter 22 has an inflatable ;~ retention balloon 40 adjacent the distal end 34 o the catheter which is inflated through valve means 42 on a side arm 43 of the . .
catheter and through an inflation lumen (not shown). The proxi-mal end 38 of the catheter 22 is connected to an upstream end 44 ~ ;~

~; of the drainage tube 28 with the drainage lumen 36 of the cathe- `~

ter 22 in communication with a drainage lumen 46 in the drainage - ~ube 28.

:
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the ureteral catheter 24 has a plurality of drainage eyes 48 adjacent a aistal en~ 50 of the catheter and a drainage lumen 52 extending from the drainage eye~
2~ 48 to a proximal end 54 of the catheter. The prox~mal end 54 of ~ ~-~he catheter 24 is connected to an upstream end ~6 of the ara~n-age tube 26 by a connector 58 with the arainage l~men 52 in the : '~

5~61~ `

catheter 24 in communication with a drainage lumen 60 in the drainage tube 26. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, downstream ends 62 and 64 of the drainage tubes 26 and 28, respectively, ar~ receiv-ed in and connected to a pair of connectors 66 and 68, pre~erably drip chambers, with the downstream ends 62 and 64 of the tubes 26 and 28 being spaced from the walls of the drip chambers to pre-v~nt retrograde bacterial movement through the drip chamhers to the drainage tubes.
The receptacle or drainage bag 30 has a pair of flex-ible side walls 70 and 72, such as a plastic material, which are joined together along lines 74a, 74h, 74c, and 74d adjacent side edges of the bag. The side walls 70 and 72 are also joined together along a line 76 extending between the lines 74a and 74c toward the upper end of the bag, and a line 78 extending betwee~
the lines 74b and 76 intermediate the lines 74a and c, thus de~in~
ing a pair of side-by-side separate compartments 80 and 82 in the bag. The side walls 70 and 72 may be joined together along the lines by any suitable mean~s, such as by heat or radio frequency sealing. Preferably, the front wall 70 of the receptacle or bag 30 is transparent, and the side wall has vertically scaled indicia I and I' to indicate the volumes of urine separably collected in : .~
the compartments 80 and 82, respectively.
The side wall 70 has a pair of openings 84 and 86 commu-r.icating with and adjacent the upper end of each of the compart-ments 80 and 82. The drip chambers 66 and 68 are secured to the outer surf ace of the side wall 70 wi~h the ~rip chambers in commu-. ~ .
~- nication with the openings 84 and 86. Each of the ~rip chamber~

6S and 68 has a plurality of openings 88 ana 9~ adjacent ~he upper . , ~
,, ' : ~, . :
~ ~5~ ~

~LOS~

end of the drip chambers, respectively, with the openings 88 and 90 being c~vered by air pexmeable filters 92 and 94, respectively, which permit passage of air into the drip chambers 66 and 68 while ~iltering bacteria from the air. Thus, in this emb~diment of ~he 5 container each ~f the compartments 80 and 82 are vented by a sepa-rate venting means in the drip ch~mbers 66 and 68.
Alternatively, the compartmenks 80 and 82 may be vented through a single vent 96, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In this emb~diment, the side wall 70 has an ope~ing 98 communicating with both of the compartments 80 and 82 adjacent the ~eal line 78, :. with an ~ir permeaDle filter lG0 being l~cated in and substanti- :
. .
ally covering the opening 98. The vent 96 has a pair of flexible rings 102 and 104 secuIed to inner and outer surfaces of the wall :~
. : , . .
70 and retaining the filter 100 intermediate the rings in the `~ 15- opening 98~ Thus, air passes thr~ugh an opening 106 in the ring ~:

102, the filtex 100, and an opening 108 in the ring 104 to com- ~:

monly vent the compartments 80 and 82 As shown in Fig. 1, the bag 3~ has a flexible flap 110 ~ . i ~ adjacent an upper end o~ the bag, and the flap 110 has a pair of ; 20 openings 112 and 114 through which the drainage tubes 26 and 28 .are threaded. The flap 110 serves to xetain and stabilize the ~ drainage tubes 26 and 2g in proper position above the bag. ~he ... .. ~ . .
; bag 30 also may have a pair ~f clips 116 and 118 and a cord 120 for releasably attaching the bag 30 to a suitable fixture, such .

. 2~ as a bed rail (not shown), during use of the drainage system~ As -~

.-. illustrated in ~igs. 1 and 3, the bag 30 has an elongated tube -12i received intermediate ~he seal line 74d and a seal line 123 ~~

~- which extends between the seal lines 74a and c. The tube 121 `;. sta~ilizes the upper end of the ~lexible ~ag 30 and prevents ~ ~ .

7~;~3 tearing out of the clips 116 and 118 from the bag during use.
As shown in Fig. 1, the re~eptacle 30 also has a pair ~ :
of drain tuhes 122 and 124 communicating with a lower end of t~e compartments 80 and 82, respectively. Outer ends of the drain tubes 122 and 124 may be moved from a first stora~e po~ition, with the outer end of the tubes being located in pouches 126 and 128 secured to the outer surface of the side wall 70, as shown in con nection with the compartment 80 in the drawing, and a second : drainage position with the outer ends of the drain tubes bPing lowered, as shown in connection with the compartment 82 in the drawing. A pair of clips 130 and 132 releasably alose the drain ~^
tubes 122 and 1~4, xespectively, and may be opened when the drain tubes are in their second position to separately drain urine from the compartments.
In operation of the drainage system, the physician uses a cystoscope to locate ureterovesicle junstion Uvl leading from ~l the bladder B to the ureter Vrl, after which he threads the ure- `i, ; teral catheter 24 ~hrough the urethra U, and the bladder B into ;- the ureter Url with the drainage eyes 48 located in the ureter Url.
. . .
The physician then removes the oystoscope over the ureteral cathe- ~
ter 24. Next, the physician passes the distal end 34 of the Foley .~ :
catheter 22 through the urethra U into the bladder B, after which the retention balloon 40 is inflated in the bladder B through the valve means 42 in the side arm 43 of the catheter by suitable ~; .
means, such as a syringe (not shown). ~he inflated balloon 40 .. retains the catheter 22 in place, and also engages against the. ureteral catheter 24 to assis~ in retaining the ureteral catheter -~ at its propex location in the ureter. The ureteral catheter 24 may be secured to the Foley cath~ter 22 outside the patient'~ koay ~y suitable means, such as a tape strip 134, to retain the uretexal ~', . .

~576~L3 ;

catheter t~ the Foley catheter. ~hus, if ten~ion is applied to the proximal end 54 of the ureteral catheter 24, the tension is trans-mitted by the tape strip 134 to the Foley catheter 22, and the retentiOn ball~Dn 40 prevents dislodgment of the ureteral cathe- :
ter from the ureter Url. ~he proximal end 54 of the ureteral catheter 24 is connected to the upstream end 56 of the drainage tube 26 by the connector 5B, while the proximal end 38 of the : Foley catheter 22 is connected to the upstream end 44 of the `~ drainage tube 2~.
Thus, urine passing from the kidney Kl through the ;~
`~ ureter Url passes through the drainage ~yes 48 of the ureteral ;:, catheter 24, through the drainage lumen 52 of the ureteral cathe~
ter, the drainage lumen 60 of the drainage tube 26,.and the drip ;
- chamber 66 into the compartment 80 for collection. Similarly, urine passing fr~m the kidney K2 passes through the ureter Ur2 : into the bladder B,, through the drainage eye 32 and drainage lumen 36 of the Foley catheter 22, the drainage lumen 46 of the -~
: drainage tube 28, and the drip chamber 68 into the compartment 82 .. for collection. Residual urine which may e~entually leak around '~ :
:; ~
the ureteral catheter 24 into the bladder B similarly drains into , ~ ~
., , ~-the compartment 82. Accordingly, urine from the ureter Url and . .: .
bladder B are separately collected in an aseptic manner in the compartments 80 and 82. The relative quantity of the separately drained urine may be readily checked by viewing the volume of ; 25 collected urine through the transparent siae wall 70, or the rela-: tive volume of urine collecte,d in the separate compartmçnts may ' ~; be determined by the indicia I and I' on the side wall 70. Sepa-rate samples of the c~llected urine may also be obtained for ., diagnosis through use of the drain tubes 122 and 124. It is n~ted :~ :
~hat in certain procedures the ~istal end 5Q of the ureteral .. .. .
; , ':
:. .
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~OS7~3 .

catheter 24 may be inserted into the renal pelvis Rl adjacent the kidney Kl.
Another embodiment of the liquid drainage system 20 of the pre~ent invention is illustrated in Fig. 6, in which like ref-S erence numer~ls d~signate like parts, and which will be described :; in connection with the anatomical diagram shown in Fig. 1~ In : this embodiment, the drainaye 5ystem 20 has a 5econd ureteral catheter ~24, a second connector 258 connecting a downstream end 2~4 of the ureteral catheter ~24 to an upstream end 2S6 of a third drainage tube 226, with a downstream e~d 262 of the dr~in~
age tube 2 2 6 being connected to a third conn~ctox or drip chamber ;:~
266. The drainage bag or receptacle 30 has a sealing line 278 extending between the lines 76 and 74b, with the ~eal lines 278, 76, 74b and 74c defining a third compartment 280. The drip cham-ber 266 is secured to the side wall 70 and co~municates with ~he ~, compartment 280 through an opening 284 in the side wall 70O The : drainage tube 226 is retained in its proper position above the ~ag by an opening 312 extending through the 1ap 110. The drip chamber has a plurality of openings 788 adjacent an upper end of the drip chamber which is covered by an air permeable filter 292 to vent the drip chamber and compartment 280. The bag 30 has a drain tube 322 communicating with a lower end of ~he compartment 280 and having an outer end removably positioned in a pouch 326 . . . ~ .
secured to an outer surface of the side wall 70~. The drain tube 322 is releasably closed by a clamp 330, and is movable between : first and second po~itions, as previously described. The bag 30 al50 has a plurality of vertically spaced indicia I'' ~n the side :~
.- wall 70 for determining the volume of urine collected in the -~:
third compartment ~80.
;.~.
: : ~

: 9 , ~57~3 The second ureteral catheter 224 associated wi~h the third compar~ment 280 of the bag 30 operates 5imilar to the first ureteral catheter 24 in draining urine. In this case, the second ureteral cathetex 224 is threaded through the urethra U, the bladder B, and into the other ureter Ur2, such that the drainage eyes of the second ureteral catheter 224 are located in the ure-ter Vr~ or the renal pelvis R2~ Accordingly, urine drains through `
the dr~inage eyes and drainage lumen of the second ureteral cathe~
ter 224, through the connector 258 and the drainaye lumen of the third drainage tube 226, and the third drip chamber 266 into the third comparbment 280 for collection. Accordingly, urine from one kidney Kl drains into the first compartment 80, urine from -t~e other kidney K2 drains into the third compartment 280, and ~;
residual urine drains from the bladder B into the second compart~
15 ment 82, with the Foley catheter also being utilized to stabilize ~`
the ureteral catheters, as previously described. Thus, during a partial differential study the relative quantities of urine ..
drained from thie kidneys Kl and ~ may be readily determined by - viewing the urine collected in the compartments 80 and 280,-or by the indicia I or I" associated with the compartments 80 and 280.
The foregoing detailed description is given or clear-ness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to ~ ;
those s~illed in the art. For example, it is apparent that the liquid drainage system described in connection with Fi~o 1 may ~ ~
utilize a pair of ureteral catheters to drain urine from the ure- -ters Url and Ur2, without draining urine from the bladder B, if desired.

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Claims (5)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A multi-chamber container for collecting urine from different sources, comprising:
a plurality of urine drainage tubes communicating with separate urine sources;
a drainage bag having a pair of flexible side walls, means joining said side walls together along lines and defining a plurality of contiguous separate compartments, and a plurality of openings adjacent the upper ends of said compartments extending through a side wall with each of said openings communicating with one of said compartments;
a plurality of connectors connecting a downstream end of each of said drainage tubes with one of said openings for simultaneous passage of urine from the drainage tubes to separate compartments and retention therein; and means for venting each of said compartments to the atmosphere.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein said connectors comprise drip chambers secured to an outer surface of said side wall around said openings, each of said drip chambers receiving the downstream end of one of said drainage tubes adjacent an upper end of the drip chambers, with the downstream end of the drainage tubes being spaced from the walls of the drip chambers.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein said receptacle has first and second side-by-side compartments, and said venting means comprises opening means extending through one of said side walls and communicating with said first and second compartments adjacent the juncture of said compartments, an air-permeable fil-ter covering said opening means, and means for securing the fil-ter to said one side wall.

4. The container of claim 3 wherein the securing means comprises a pair of flexible rings, one of said rings being secured to an outer surface of said one side wall, and the other of said rings being secured to an inner surface of said one side wall, with said filter being located intermediate said rings.

5. The container of claim 1 wherein the joining means comprises sealing lines in said side walls.