EP4791326A1

EP4791326A1 - A urine drainage bag, method of using such a bag and outlet member for urine drainage bag

Info

Publication number: EP4791326A1
Application number: EP24790014.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bianca Charlotte KOOTER; Angela VAN DEN BERG
Original assignee: Zorg Goed BV
Current assignee: Zorg Goed BV
Priority date: 2023-10-11
Filing date: 2024-10-07
Publication date: 2026-08-19
Also published as: NL2036007B1; WO2025080125A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a urine drainage bag (1) with an outlet tube (3) with an outlet opening (3a) and a valve (4) operable to drain urine from the bag via the outlet tube, wherein the bag further includes an outlet member (5) that is configured to be introduced in the outlet tube via the outlet opening, wherein the outlet member and the outlet tube are configured to retain the outlet member in the outlet tube by deformation of the outlet member and/or the outlet tube, wherein the outlet member includes a removal element (5b) at one end thereof that is configured to engage with the outlet tube to prevent the complete introduction of the outlet member in the outlet tube and is configured to allow the manual removal of the outlet member from the outlet tube, and wherein the outlet member comprises an odorant to be released from the outlet member after introduction in the outlet tube.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

A urine drainage bag, method of using such a bag and outlet member for urine drainage bag

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a urine drainage bag and corresponding method of using such a bag.

When people are not able to urinate on their own, indwelling urinary catheters like the well-known Foley catheter can be used to assist. Indications for using a catheter include providing relief when there is urinary retention, monitoring urine output for critically ill persons, managing urination during surgery, and providing end-of-life care.

Typically, a flexible tube is passed through the urethra and into the bladder to drain urine into a collection bag, in the context of this specification referred to as a urine drainage bag.

A urine drainage bag generally includes a flexible bag with an inlet tube to be connected to the catheter and an outlet tube with a valve that is operable to drain urine from the bag via the outlet tube. The outlet tube can thus be used to drain urine that is collected in the urine drainage bag into a toilet or other vessel, e.g. used for urine inspection, without having to disconnect the inlet tube from the catheter. Depending on the size of the urine drainage bag and the amount of urine produced by the person using the urine drainage bag, this operation needs to be performed a couple of times a day.

Urine drainage bags with an outlet tube are intended to be used for a relatively long period of time contrary to disposable urinary drainage bags that are disposed of when the bag is full. However, it is a well-known problem that when the urine drainage bag is used for a relatively long period of time, e.g. more than a couple of days, unpleasant odors arise. To prevent these unpleasant odors, urine drainage bags are frequently replaced and/or complex cleaning protocols are provided. However, the replacement of urine drainage bags is not environmentally friendly, or durable and the complex cleaning protocols cannot be easily carried out or take too much time.

US6129714A1 discloses a urine collection bag including a biodegradable odor neutralizer to minimize the otherwise offensive odor typically associated with such bags. However, in practice this provides only a short-term minimization.

DE3417071 discloses an adapter to be used in connection with liquid drainage systems including a solid antiseptic agent to kill bacteria. However, this prevents entry of bacteria into the system but does not minimize unpleasant odors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above it is an object of the invention to provide an improved urine drainage bag that will address one or more of the above-mentioned problems.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a urine drainage bag with an outlet tube having an outlet opening and a valve operable to drain urine from the bag via the outlet tube, wherein the bag further includes an outlet member that is configured to be introduced in the outlet tube via the outlet opening, wherein the outlet member and the outlet tube are configured to retain the outlet member in the outlet tube by deformation of the outlet member and/or the outlet tube, wherein the outlet member includes a removal element at one end thereof that is configured to engage with the outlet tube to prevent the complete introduction of the outlet member in the outlet tube and is configured to allow the manual removal of the outlet member from the outlet tube, and wherein the outlet member comprises an odorant to be released from the outlet member after introduction in the outlet tube.

A benefit of the urine drainage bag according to the first aspect of the invention is that it at least partially provides masking of the unpleasant odors so that these unpleasant odors do not necessitate a more frequent replacement of the urine drainage bag and the use thereof is simple and easy to perform so that all kind of users, which users are typically people that are ill and/or of age or the people taking care of them, can use the urine drainage bag without complex instructions and without taking too much of their time.

In an embodiment, the outlet member comprises a body to be introduced into the outlet tube and the removal element is attached to one end of the body.

In an embodiment, the outlet tube has a circular cross-section, and wherein the body of the outlet member has a circular cross-section that is larger than the circular crosssection of the outlet tube.

In an embodiment, the removal element includes two distinct portions, which may be referred to as a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is configured to prevent the complete introduction of the outlet member in the outlet tube, and wherein the second portion is configured to allow the manual removal of the outlet member from the outlet tube.

In an embodiment, the removal element includes a ring that may be attached to one end of the body. Alternatively, the ring may be the second portion of the removal element connected to the first portion of the removal element.

In an embodiment, the odorant is part of or integrated in the body.

In an embodiment, the body is at least partially absorbent for the odorant.

In an embodiment, a separate odorant carrying element is provided around the body to be arranged between the removal element and the outlet tube or between the body and the outlet tube when the outlet member is introduced in the outlet tube.

In an embodiment, the deformation of the outlet tube is larger than the deformation of the outlet member when the outlet member is introduced in the outlet tube. In an embodiment, the outlet member tapers towards an end configured to be introduced into the outlet tube first thereby allowing an easy introduction of the outlet member. Hence, the outlet member includes a first part and a second part, wherein the first part has a cross-section smaller than the cross-section of the outlet tube, i.e. the outlet tube and the first part do not need to deform when introducing the first part of the outlet member in the outlet tube, and wherein the second part has a larger cross-section, i.e. the outlet tube and/or the second part deform when introducing the second part of the outlet member in the outlet tube.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of using a urine drainage bag according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a. allowing the urine drainage bag to collect urine from a person, and b. draining urine from the urine drainage bag via the outlet tube by successively opening the valve, waiting until draining is completed, closing the valve, and introducing the outlet member into the outlet tube.

In an embodiment, the draining urine from the urine drainage bag further includes removing the outlet member prior to opening the valve.

In an embodiment, the outlet member introduced into the outlet tube after closing the valve is the same outlet member as removed prior to opening the valve.

In an embodiment, the odorant in the outlet member is replenished prior to being introduced into the outlet tube.

In an embodiment, the part of the outlet member containing the odorant is replaced prior to being introduced into the outlet tube.

In an embodiment, the outlet member introduced into the outlet tube after closing the valve is a different outlet member than the outlet member that is removed from the outlet tube prior to opening the valve. Hence, the outlet member (or a part thereof) may be disposable. Alternatively, the outlet member is re-used multiple times, i.e. at least twice, where it may be possible to add or replace the odorant to keep the masking functionality above a predetermined level.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an outlet member for a urine drainage bag according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the outlet member comprises a body to be introduced into an outlet tube of the urine drainage bag, a removal element attached to one end of the body to prevent the complete introduction of the outlet member in the outlet tube and to allow the manual removal of the outlet member from the outlet tube, and an odorant to be released from the outlet member after introduction in the outlet tube.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a combination of an outlet member for a urine drainage bag according to the first aspect of the invention and an odorant, wherein the outlet member comprises a body to be introduced into an outlet tube of the urine drainage bag, and a removal element attached to one end of the body to prevent the complete introduction of the outlet member in the outlet tube and to allow the manual removal of the outlet member from the outlet tube, and wherein the body is at least partially absorbent to the odorant.

An advantage of the invention according to the fourth aspect may be that the odorant and the outlet member are packaged/stored separately and only combined shortly before introducing the outlet member in the outlet tube of the urine drainage bag so that less odorant is used or spilled prior to introduction.

Embodiments and/or features that are described in relation to one aspect of the invention may readily apply to other aspects of the invention as well where appropriate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in a non-limiting way by reference to the accompanying drawings in which like parts are indicated by like reference symbols, and in which:

Fig. 1 schematically depicts a urine drainage bag according to an embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 schematically depicts an outlet member suitable for the urine drainage bag of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 schematically depicts another outlet member suitable for the urine drainage bag of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 schematically depicts a further outlet member suitable for the urine drainage bag of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 schematically depicts a urine drainage bag 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The bag 1 is provided with an inlet tube 2 that can be connected to a catheter to allow urine to be collected in the bag 1.

The bag 1 is further provided with an outlet tube 3 with an outlet opening 3a and a valve 4, e.g. a T-bar valve, that is operable to drain urine from the bag 1 via the outlet tube 3 without having to uncouple the inlet tube 2 from the catheter. In this way, the bag 1 can be used for a longer period of time and allows to collect a volume much larger than the capacity of the bag 1.

After emptying the bag 1 using the outlet tube 3 and the valve 4, the valve 4 is closed again, but typically some urine residue remains in the portion of the outlet tube between the valve 4 and the outlet opening 3a resulting in unpleasant odors.

The urine drainage bag 1 according to the invention is therefore provided with an outlet member 5 (not shown in Fig. 1) that is configured to be introduced in the outlet tube 3 via the outlet opening 3a. A first example of a suitable outlet member 5 is schematically depicted in Fig. 2, a second example of a suitable outlet member 5 is schematically depicted in Fig. 3, and a third example of a suitable outlet member 5 is schematically depicted in Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 2, the outlet member 5 comprises a body 5a to be introduced in the outlet tube 3. The cross-sectional shape and size of the body 5a and the cross-sectional shape and size of the outlet tube 3 are therefore such that introduction of the body 5a in the outlet tube 3 results in elastic deformation of the body 5a and/or the outlet tube 3 thereby providing significant frictional forces between the body 5a and the outlet tube 3 to withstand at least gravitational forces applied to the outlet member 5 to retain the outlet member 5 in the outlet tube 3. The frictional forces are preferably substantially larger than the gravitational forces so that a significant force needs to be applied to remove the outlet member 5 from the outlet tube 5 to prevent undesired removal of the outlet member 5. However, the force should also not be too large to keep it simple for everybody to remove the outlet member 5.

For instance, in a first exemplary configuration, the cross-sectional shape of the body 5a is similar to the cross-sectional shape of the outlet tube 3, e.g. a circular shape, but the size of the cross-sectional shape of the body 5a compared to the size of the cross- sectional shape of the outlet tube 3 is larger.

In a second exemplary configuration, the cross-sectional shape of the body 5a does not match the cross-sectional shape of the outlet tube 3. In this configuration, the cross- sectional area does not necessarily have to be different but may be identical, or the cross- sectional area of the outlet tube 3 may even be larger than the cross-sectional area of the body 5 as long as the shape of body 5a cannot be introduced into the outlet tube without deformation of at least one of the two components. The cross-sectional shape of the body 5a may for instance be a polygon, e.g. a triangle or square, with an circumscribed circle that has a larger diameter than the circular shape of the outlet tube.

As a result, one of them or both have to deform to allow the introduction of the outlet member 5 in the outlet tube 3. This deformation is preferably elastic to allow this introduction multiple times without losing the retaining function. In practice this may mean that the body 5a and/or the outlet tube 3 is made from a material or composition having a Young's Modulus of lGPa at most, preferably at most lOOMPa, more preferably at most 50MPa, and most preferably at most lOMPa.

The outlet member 5a further includes a removal element 5b attached at or integral with the body 5a at one end thereof. The removal element 5b in the embodiment of Fig. 2 comprises a first portion 5bl having a larger cross-sectional area, in this case by having a circular cross-section similar to the body 5a but with a larger diameter. Due to the larger cross-sectional area, this first portion is too large to be introduced in the outlet tube 3 and will thus engage with the outlet tube 3 at the opening 3a thereby preventing the complete introduction of the outlet member 5 in the outlet tube 3 which would make subsequent removal difficult if not impossible for a person without aid.

The removal element 5b in the embodiment of Fig. 2 further includes a second portion 5b2 extending from the first portion 5bl and allowing to be gripped between fingertips of a person. In this way, a person is able to manually remove the outlet member 5 from the outlet tube 3.

The outlet member 5 further comprises an odorant to be released from the outlet member 5 at least after introduction in the outlet tube thereby masking any unpleasant odors from the urine drainage bag. Introduction of the outlet member may also have the advantage that unpleasant odors have more difficulty to be released into the environment as they become more or less trapped by the outlet member and the release rate is lowered.

The odorant may be integrated in any portion of the outlet member, for instance by being absorbed by the body 5a, but may alternatively be provided as a separate element, for instance a ring or similarly shaped element around body 5a to be arranged between the first portion 5bl and the outlet tube 3 when the outlet member 5 is introduced in the outlet tube 3. The odorant may also be integrated in the first portion 5bl. Integration may be affected by absorption. Hence, at least a portion of the outlet member is at least partially absorbent. Referring to Fig. 3, the outlet member 5 includes a body 5a similar to the body 5a of the outlet member of Fig. 2. Hence, the corresponding description of Fig. 2 also applies here and will not be unduly repeated. A difference between the two embodiments is that the outlet member 5 has a removal element in the form of a ring 5b attached to one end of the body 5a. Upon introduction of the outlet member 5 into the outlet tube 3, the ring may engage with the outlet tube 3 at the opening 3a thereof thereby preventing the complete introduction of the outlet member 5 in the outlet tube 3. The ring 5b is preferably large enough to allow a finger pass through the ring 5b such that the ring 5b can be used to pull the outlet member 5 from the outlet tube 3.

Referring to Fig. 4, the outlet member 5 includes a body 5a. A difference with the other two shown embodiments is that body 5a comprises a first part 5al that tapers towards the end of the body 5a to be introduced into the outlet tube 3 first thereby allowing an easy introduction of the outlet member 5. The first part 5al thus does not need to deform to be introduced into the outlet tube 3.

Connected to the first part is a second part 5a2. In this embodiment, the second part 5a2 of the body 5a has constant cross section to engage with the outlet tube 3 to retain the body 5a in the outlet tube 3 after introduction.

The outlet member 5 further includes a removal element 5b connected to an end of the body 5a opposite the first part 5al of the body 5a, i.e. to the second part 5a2. The removal element 5b has a semi-elliptical shape allowing to keep the width of the removal element 5b smaller compared to a circular shape while at the same time keeping the opening for a finger sufficiently large to pull on the removal element 5b. The smaller width of the removal element may have the advantage that the risk of inadvertently applying a load to the removal element 5b and thus inadvertent removal of the removal element 5b is reduced.

The urine drainage bag 1 of Fig. 1 and one of the outlet members 5 of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 allow a person to collect urine. When the bag 1 is used for the first time, the outlet tube 3 is still clean and no unpleasant odors will be released. Hence, although possible, there is no need yet to introduce the outlet member 5, but to become a habit or part of a routine it may be preferred to introduce the outlet member 5 in the outlet tube independent of the bag 1 being used for the first time or not.

To empty the bag 1 after collecting sufficient urine and to reuse the bag 1, a person first removes the outlet member 5 from the outlet tube 3 using the removal element 5b, opens the valve 4 to empty the bag, waits until draining is completed, and subsequently closes the valve 4. Subsequently, an outlet member 5 is introduced into the outlet tube 3. This may be the same outlet member 5 that was removed earlier, e.g. when there is sufficient odorant remaining in the outlet member 5 or when the odorant has been replenished or the element containing the odorant has been replaced, but it is also possible to use a completely new outlet member 5. The outlet member 5 may for instance be configured for one time use only or for a predetermined amount of times or period of time.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A urine drainage bag (1) with an outlet tube (3) with an outlet opening (3a) and a valve (4) operable to drain urine from the bag via the outlet tube, characterized in that the bag further includes an outlet member (5) that is configured to be introduced in the outlet tube via the outlet opening, in that the outlet member and the outlet tube are configured to retain the outlet member in the outlet tube by deformation of the outlet member and/or the outlet tube, in that the outlet member includes a removal element (5b) at one end thereof that is configured to engage with the outlet tube to prevent the complete introduction of the outlet member in the outlet tube and is configured to allow the manual removal of the outlet member from the outlet tube, and in that the outlet member comprises an odorant to be released from the outlet member after introduction in the outlet tube.

2. A urine drainage bag according to claim 1, wherein the outlet member comprises a body (5a) to be introduced into the outlet tube and the removal element is attached to one end of the body.

3. A urine drainage bag according to claim 2, wherein the outlet tube has a circular cross-section, and wherein the body of the outlet member has a circular crosssection that is larger than the circular cross-section of the outlet tube.

4. A urine drainage bag according to claim 2, wherein the removal element is a ring attached to one end of the body.

5. A urine drainage bag according to claim 2, wherein the odorant is part of or integrated in the body.

6. A urine drainage bag according to claim 2, wherein a separate odorant carrying element is provided around the body to be arranged between the removal element and the outlet tube or between the body and the outlet tube when the outlet member is introduced in the outlet tube.

7. A urine drainage bag according to any of claims 1-6, wherein the deformation of the outlet tube is larger than the deformation of the outlet member when the outlet member is introduced in the outlet tube.

8. A method of using a urine drainage bag (1) according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a. allowing the urine drainage bag to collect urine from a person, and b. draining urine from the urine drainage bag via the outlet tube (3) by successively opening the valve (4), waiting until draining is completed, closing the valve, and introducing the outlet member (5) into the outlet tube.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the draining urine from the urine drainage bag further includes removing the outlet member prior to opening the valve.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the outlet member introduced into the outlet tube after closing the valve is the same outlet member as removed prior to opening the valve.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the odorant in the outlet member is replenished prior to being introduced into the outlet tube.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the part of the outlet member containing the odorant is replaced prior to being introduced into the outlet tube.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein the outlet member introduced into the outlet tube after closing the valve is a different outlet member.

14. Outlet member for a urine drainage bag according to any of claims 1-7, wherein the outlet member comprises a body (5a) to be introduced into an outlet tube of the urine drainage bag, a removal element (5b) attached to one end of the body to prevent the complete introduction of the outlet member in the outlet tube and to allow the manual removal of the outlet member from the outlet tube, and an odorant to be released from the outlet member after introduction in the outlet tube.