KR102917170B1 - Bladder cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

A bladder cleaning device according to the present invention comprises: a supply line having one longitudinal side connected to a cleaning solution container; a discharge line having one longitudinal side connected to a drainage container; a catheter connection line having one longitudinal side connected to the other longitudinal side of the supply line and the other longitudinal side of the discharge line, and having the other longitudinal side connected to a connection portion of a urinary catheter; a first peristaltic metering pump installed on the supply line and delivering a cleaning solution in the cleaning solution container to the urinary catheter; and a second peristaltic metering pump installed on the discharge line and delivering a cleaning solution in a bladder to which the urinary catheter is connected to the drainage container. By using the bladder cleaning device and bladder cleaning method using the same according to the present invention, the injection of cleaning solution into the bladder and the withdrawal of cleaning solution are performed by the driving force of the motor, but the amount of cleaning solution injected and withdrawn can be controlled to be constant, so that the patient can directly clean his or her own bladder, and even if a single tube is inserted into the urethra, the injection and withdrawal of cleaning solution can be performed alternately, so that the patient's pain can be reduced, which has the advantage of being able to do so.

Description

Bladder cleaning device

The present invention relates to a bladder washing device, and more specifically, to a bladder washing device that allows a patient to directly perform bladder washing and allows the bladder to be washed more safely by quantifying the amount of washing solution injected and discharged.

A continuous bladder irrigation device is a device that uses a catheter inserted through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine or blood clots, or to inject medication to cleanse the bladder. The device injects a irrigation solution into the bladder through the catheter, and the solution then cleanses the bladder and drains into a urine bag, completing the process. The device requires continuous replacement of the irrigation solution, necessitating ongoing supervision by medical staff and other personnel.

The conventional bladder washing process is described in detail with reference to the attached drawings below.

Figure 1 illustrates a conventional device for bladder irrigation.

Conventional bladder irrigation is performed by medical staff using a syringe (17) as shown in Fig. 1.

The medical staff inserts the urethral insertion part (15) of the urinary catheter (13) into the patient's urethra (12) and into the bladder (11), and then uses a syringe (17) to dip the syringe tip (16) into a cleaning solution container (19) filled with saline solution or sterile distilled water and pulls the plunger (18) to suck a certain amount into the syringe (17). Thereafter, the syringe tip (16) is connected to the connection part (14) of the urinary catheter (13) and the plunger (18) is pushed in to inject the cleaning solution in the syringe (17) into the bladder (11) through the urinary catheter (13) at a certain rate.

When the cleaning solution in the syringe (17) is completely injected into the bladder (11), the plunger (18) of the syringe (17) is pulled to withdraw the cleaning solution injected into the bladder from the bladder (11) again. The cleaning solution withdrawn from the bladder (11) in this way is the cleaning solution after washing away impurities in the bladder, and is therefore discarded in a waste container.

Bladder irrigation is a highly effective method for removing impurities and blood clots caused by bladder urination disorders, and based on this, it can be considered a key procedure for protecting patients' health by reducing the risk of urinary tract infections. However, the conventional method described above must be performed directly by medical staff, and since it is performed manually, it is difficult for each medical staff to quantitatively perform the irrigation method identically. Furthermore, patients must travel to the hospital to irrigate their bladders using this conventional method and perform bladder irrigation periodically, which causes inconvenience.

In addition, when washing the bladder in the above manner, the amount of washing solution injected and discharged is adjusted according to the judgment of the medical staff. Therefore, if the medical staff lacks experience, the amount of washing solution injected and discharged may not be adjusted appropriately, resulting in bladder washing not being performed effectively.

In order to solve the above problems, a 'bladder continuous cleaning device and method thereof (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2023-0172060)' has been proposed, which is configured to inject and discharge cleaning solution using the driving force of a motor.

However, since the conventional bladder continuous washing device has a separate washing solution inlet tube and discharge tube, there is a disadvantage in that the urethra may be damaged during the process of inserting the washing solution inlet tube and discharge tube into the patient's urethra.

In addition, since the conventional continuous bladder washing device is configured to perform simultaneous injection and withdrawal of the washing solution by a single motor, it is difficult to control the amount of washing solution injected into the bladder, and thus there is a problem in that there is a limit to effectively performing bladder washing.

KR 10-2023-0172060 A

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a bladder washing device that performs the injection and withdrawal of washing solution into the bladder by the driving force of a motor, while being able to control the amount of washing solution injected and withdrawn at a constant level, and that can alternately perform the injection and withdrawal of washing solution by inserting a tube into the urethra.

In order to achieve the above object, the bladder cleaning device according to the present invention comprises: a supply line having one longitudinal side connected to a cleaning solution container; a discharge line having one longitudinal side connected to a drainage container; a catheter connection line having one longitudinal side connected to the other longitudinal side of the supply line and the other longitudinal side of the discharge line, and having the other longitudinal side connected to a connection portion of a urinary catheter; a first peristaltic metering pump installed on the supply line and delivering the cleaning solution in the cleaning solution container to the urinary catheter; and a second peristaltic metering pump installed on the discharge line and delivering the cleaning solution in a bladder to which the urinary catheter is connected to the drainage container.

It further includes a first check valve installed on the above supply line to prevent backflow of the cleaning solution.

It further includes a second check valve installed on the above discharge line to prevent backflow of the cleaning solution.

It further includes a flow control valve installed on the catheter connection line to control the flow rate of the cleaning solution passing through the catheter connection line.

The above flow control valve is applied as a three-way valve in which the longitudinal other end of the supply line, the longitudinal other end of the discharge line, and the longitudinal one side of the catheter connection line are connected.

It further includes an electronic control unit having a pump control unit that outputs operation signals of the first and second linked quantitative pumps, a valve control unit that outputs operation signals of the flow control valve, and an MCU that controls the pump control unit and the valve control unit.

The above electronic control unit further includes a display unit that outputs information related to the supply and discharge of the cleaning solution.

The method further includes a residual urine volume measuring unit that detects the amount of residual urine in the bladder, and the MCU controls the operation of the second peristaltic metering pump so that a fluid amount equal to the sum of the amount of residual urine in the bladder and the amount of cleaning solution supplied into the bladder is discharged into the drainage tank.

The electronic control unit further includes a first fluid detection sensor installed at the rear end of the first peristaltic pump among the supply lines to measure whether the cleaning liquid flows on the supply line, and a second fluid detection sensor installed at the front end of the second peristaltic pump among the supply lines to measure whether the cleaning liquid flows on the discharge line, and the electronic control unit further includes a sensor control unit that processes the sensor values supplied from the first fluid detection sensor and the second fluid detection sensor and transmits them to the MCU.

The above supply line further includes a fluid flow measurement sensor installed at the rear end of the second peristaltic pump to detect the flow rate of the cleaning solution discharged into the drainage tank, and the electronic control unit controls the operating speed of the second peristaltic pump according to the flow rate of the cleaning solution measured by the fluid flow measurement sensor.

The bladder washing method according to the present invention is a method of washing a bladder using the bladder washing device mentioned above, comprising: a first step of connecting one longitudinal end of the supply line to a washing solution container, connecting one longitudinal end of the discharge line to a drainage container, and connecting the catheter connection line to a connection portion of a urinary catheter; a second step of operating the first peristaltic metering pump to inject only a preset amount of the washing solution in the washing solution container into the patient's bladder; and a third step of stopping the first peristaltic metering pump and operating the second peristaltic metering pump when the washing solution injection into the bladder is completed to drain the washing solution in the patient's bladder into the drainage container; wherein the second and third steps are configured to be repeated a preset number of times.

By using the bladder cleaning device and bladder cleaning method using the same according to the present invention, the injection of cleaning solution into the bladder and the withdrawal of cleaning solution are performed by the driving force of the motor, but the amount of cleaning solution injected and withdrawn can be controlled to be constant, so that the patient can directly clean his or her own bladder, and even if a single tube is inserted into the urethra, the injection and withdrawal of cleaning solution can be performed alternately, so that the patient's pain can be reduced, which has the advantage of being able to do so.

Figure 1 illustrates a conventional device for bladder irrigation.
Figure 2 is a block diagram of a bladder cleaning device according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a bladder cleaning device according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of a bladder cleaning device according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is a block diagram of a fourth embodiment of a bladder cleaning device according to the present invention.

Referring to the attached drawings below, an embodiment of a bladder cleaning device and a bladder cleaning method using the same according to the present invention will be described in detail.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a bladder cleaning device according to the present invention.

The bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention is a device for removing impurities and blood clots in the bladder (11) of a patient due to urinary dysfunction by repeating the process of injecting a cleaning solution into the bladder (11) of the patient and then discharging the cleaning solution in the bladder (11). The biggest feature of the device is that it is configured so that the injection and discharge of the cleaning solution can be implemented by a separate metering pump rather than being done manually by medical staff.

That is, the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention comprises a supply line (110) having one longitudinal side (the left end in this embodiment) connected to a cleaning solution container (20), a discharge line (120) having one longitudinal side (the left end in this embodiment) connected to a drainage tube (30), a catheter connection line (130) having one longitudinal side (the left end in this embodiment) connected to the other longitudinal side (the right end in this embodiment) of the supply line (110) and the other longitudinal side (the right end in this embodiment) of the discharge line (120), and having the other longitudinal side (the right end in this embodiment) connected to a connection portion of a urinary catheter (13), a first peristaltic metering pump (111) installed on the supply line (110) to transfer the cleaning solution in the cleaning solution container (20) to the urinary catheter (13), and a first peristaltic metering pump (111) installed on the discharge line (120) to which the urinary catheter (13) is connected. The most significant feature of the configuration is that it includes a second peristaltic pump (121) that delivers the cleaning solution in the bladder (11) to the drainage tank (30).

When the first peristaltic pump (111) is operated in the state illustrated in FIG. 2, the cleaning solution in the cleaning solution container (20) is delivered to the urinary catheter (13) through the supply line (110) and the catheter connection line (130), and then injected into the patient's bladder (11). At this time, since the second peristaltic pump (121) remains stopped, the cleaning solution supplied to the catheter connection line (130) through the supply line (110) does not flow back to the first peristaltic pump, but is entirely delivered to the urinary catheter (13).

When the cleaning solution is injected into the patient's bladder (11), impurities and blood clots in the bladder (11) are mixed with the cleaning solution. When this happens, the first peristaltic metering pump (111) is stopped and the second peristaltic metering pump (121) is started. When the first peristaltic metering pump (111) is started, the cleaning solution (more specifically, the cleaning solution mixed with impurities and blood clots) in the bladder (11) is sequentially discharged into the drainage tube (30) through the urinary catheter (13), the catheter connection line (130), and the discharge line (120). The above-described injection and discharge of the cleaning solution may be repeated a preset number of times according to the condition of the patient's bladder (11), or the number of repetitions may be increased or decreased depending on the amount of impurities and blood clots discharged into the drainage tube (30).

At this time, it is preferable that a first check valve (112) be installed on the supply line (110) to prevent the backflow of the cleaning solution (more specifically, the flow toward the first peristaltic pump (111)) so that the cleaning solution mixed with impurities and blood clots is not delivered to the first peristaltic pump (111). The first check valve (112) is a type of check valve that allows the cleaning solution to flow from the first peristaltic pump (111) to the catheter connection line (130) but prevents the cleaning solution from flowing in the opposite direction. Such check valves are commercialized in various fields, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Since the first peristaltic pump (111) and the second peristaltic pump (121) can be set to transfer only a preset amount of the cleaning solution, the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention has the advantage of allowing even a person with low bladder cleaning skill to inject and discharge a fixed amount of the cleaning solution, and reducing the workload of medical staff for simple procedures.

Furthermore, by using the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention, a patient can clean his or her own bladder (11) even if he or she is not a medical professional, so not only can the cost and time required for bladder cleaning be reduced, but convenience is also significantly increased because bladder cleaning is possible in places other than a hospital.

In addition, a flow control valve (131) installed on the catheter connection line (130) to control the flow rate of the cleaning solution passing through the catheter connection line (130) may be further included. The flow control valve (131) is a type of valve that pressurizes the catheter connection line (130) to increase or decrease the cross-sectional area of the flow path, and a user can precisely control the flow rate of the cleaning solution flowing along the catheter connection line (130) by manipulating the flow control valve (131).

In addition, the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention may be equipped with an electronic control unit (140) so that the operations of the various pumps and valves mentioned above are automatically controlled.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electronic control unit (140) is configured to include a pump control unit (141) that outputs operation signals of the first peristaltic pump (111) and the second peristaltic pump (121), a valve control unit (142) that outputs an operation signal of the flow control valve (131), and an MCU (Micro Control Unit) (144) that controls the pump control unit (141) and the valve control unit (142). When the electronic control unit (140) is provided in this way, the user can precisely control the operation time of the first peristaltic pump (111) and the second peristaltic pump (121) and the operation of the flow control valve (131) by manipulating the electronic control unit (140), and can also reserve the operation time of each pump and valve in advance, so there is an advantage in that the bladder (11) can be washed more conveniently.

Furthermore, the electronic control unit (140) may be additionally equipped with a display unit (143) that outputs information related to the supply and discharge of the cleaning solution so that the current status of bladder cleaning can be immediately identified.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention.

In order to more reliably prevent the phenomenon of washing water flowing back toward the second peristaltic pump (121) during the process of supplying washing water to the bladder (11) through the supply line (110), the bladder washing device (100) according to the present invention may have a second check valve (122) installed on the discharge line (120).

The second check valve (122) is substantially the same as the first check valve (112) installed in the supply line (110), and serves to control the flow direction of the cleaning solution so that the cleaning solution can flow only in one direction. When the second check valve (122) is installed on the discharge line (120) in this way, there is an advantage in that the cleaning solution that should be delivered to the bladder (11) through the supply line (110) can be reliably prevented from flowing back toward the second interlocking pump.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, when the other ends of the supply line (110) and the discharge line (120) are simultaneously connected to one end of the catheter connection line (130), and the flow control valve (131) is installed at the end of the catheter connection line (130), even if the flow control valve (131) is appropriately controlled, there is a concern that some of the cleaning solution supplied through the supply line (110) may flow into the discharge line (120).

Therefore, the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 3, may be applied as a three-way valve in which the flow control valve (131) connects the longitudinal other end of the supply line (110), the longitudinal other end of the discharge line (120), and the longitudinal one side of the catheter connection line (130). When the flow control valve (131) is applied as a three-way valve in this way, the phenomenon in which the cleaning solution supplied through the supply line (110) flows into the discharge line (120) or the phenomenon in which the cleaning solution discharged from the bladder (11) flows into the supply line (110) can be more reliably prevented, so there is an advantage in that more hygienic and effective bladder cleaning is possible.

Figure 4 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of a bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention.

The bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention is configured to clean the bladder (11) by injecting cleaning solution in a cleaning solution container (20) into the bladder (11) and discharging the cleaning solution in the bladder (11) into a drainage container (30). However, if the first peristaltic metering pump (111) continues to operate even though the cleaning solution in the cleaning solution container (20) has been completely exhausted, a problem may arise in which unnecessary air is injected into the bladder (11). In addition, if the second peristaltic metering pump continues to operate even though the cleaning solution in the bladder (11) has been completely discharged, a problem in which vacuum pressure is formed inside the bladder (11) may arise.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention can be configured so that when the cleaning solution in the cleaning solution container (20) is completely exhausted, the first peristaltic metering pump (111) is stopped, and when the cleaning solution in the bladder tube is completely exhausted, the second peristaltic metering pump (121) is stopped.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention may further include a first fluid detection sensor (113) installed at the rear end of the first peristaltic metering pump (111) among the supply lines (110) to measure whether the cleaning liquid flows on the supply line (110), and a second fluid detection sensor (123) installed at the front end of the second peristaltic metering pump (121) among the discharge lines (120) to measure whether the cleaning liquid flows on the discharge line (120). At this time, it is preferable that the electronic control unit (140) additionally include a sensor control unit (145) that processes the sensor values supplied from the first fluid detection sensor (113) and the second fluid detection sensor (123) and transmits them to the MCU (144).

When the first fluid detection sensor (113) is installed in the supply line (110) in this way, when the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid container (20) is completely exhausted and the cleaning liquid no longer flows in the supply line (110), the first fluid detection sensor (113) detects this and transmits a signal to the sensor control unit (145), and the sensor control unit (145) transmits a signal to stop the first peristaltic pump (111) to the MCU (144), thereby stopping unnecessary operation of the first peristaltic pump (111).

In addition, when a second fluid detection sensor (123) is installed in the discharge line (120), when all of the cleaning liquid in the bladder (11) is discharged and the cleaning liquid no longer flows in the discharge line (120), the second fluid detection sensor (123) detects this and transmits a signal to the sensor control unit (145), and the sensor control unit (145) transmits a second peristaltic pump (121) stop signal to the MCU (144), thereby stopping unnecessary operation of the second peristaltic pump (121).

In addition, if the cleaning solution inside the bladder (11) is discharged too slowly, it takes a long time to clean the bladder, and if the cleaning solution inside the bladder (11) is discharged too quickly, a large negative pressure is formed inside the bladder (11), which may damage the bladder (11) or urethra (12).

Therefore, the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention may further include a fluid flow measurement sensor (124) installed at the rear end of the second peristaltic metering pump (121) in the supply line (110) to detect the flow rate of the cleaning liquid discharged to the drainage tank (30) so as to appropriately control the flow rate of the cleaning liquid discharged along the discharge line (120). At this time, the electronic control unit (140) increases or decreases the operating speed of the second peristaltic metering pump (121) according to the cleaning liquid flow rate measured by the fluid flow measurement sensor (124), so that the cleaning liquid flowing along the discharge line (120) can be discharged at a speed within a certain range.

Figure 5 is a block diagram of a fourth embodiment of a bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention.

In patients with abnormalities in the bladder (11) or prostate, the amount of residual urine in the bladder (11) may increase.

When the amount of residual urine in the bladder (11) is large, if only the amount of washing water injected (more specifically, washing water mixed with urine) is discharged, a certain amount of washing water remains in the bladder (11), which may reduce the bladder (11) washing efficiency.

The bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention can be configured to discharge cleaning water in an amount equal to the sum of the amount of cleaning water injected and the amount of residual urine when residual urine exists in the bladder (11).

For example, the bladder cleaning device (100) according to the present invention further includes a residual urine amount measuring unit (150) that detects the amount of residual urine in the bladder (11), and the MCU (144) can control the operation of the second peristaltic pump (121) so that a fluid equal to the sum of the amount of residual urine in the bladder (11) and the amount of cleaning fluid supplied into the bladder (11) is discharged to the drainage tank (30). At this time, the residual urine amount measuring unit (150) can be applied to any type of inspection device that can measure the amount of residual urine, such as an inspection device that measures the amount of residual urine in the bladder (11) through an ultrasound examination.

In this way, if the amount of fluid discharged by the second peristaltic metering pump (121) is configured to be controlled according to the amount of residual urine in the bladder (11), the bladder (11) can be completely emptied and new washing water can be injected, so there is an advantage in that the bladder washing effect is further improved.

While the present invention has been described in detail using preferred embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and should be interpreted in accordance with the appended claims. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

11: Bladder 12: Urethra
13: Urinary catheter 14: Connection part
15: Urethral insertion site 16: Syringe tip
17: Syringe 18: Plunger
20: Washing liquid container 30: Drainage tank
100: Bladder cleaning device 110: Supply line
111: 1st linked metering pump 112: 1st check valve
113: First fluid detection sensor 120: Discharge line
121: Second linked metering pump 122: Second check valve
123: Second fluid detection sensor 124: Fluid flow measurement sensor
130: Catheter connection line 131: Flow control valve
140: Electronic control unit 141: Pump control unit
142: Valve control unit 143: Display unit
144: MCU 145: Sensor control unit
150: Residual urine volume measurement unit

Claims (11)

A supply line having one longitudinal side connected to a detergent container;
A discharge line having one longitudinal side connected to a drainage tube;
A catheter connection line having one longitudinal side connected to the other longitudinal side of the supply line and the other longitudinal side of the discharge line, and the other longitudinal side connected to the connection portion of a urinary catheter;
A first peristaltic pump installed on the above supply line and delivering the cleaning solution in the cleaning solution container to the urinary catheter;
A second peristaltic pump installed on the discharge line to deliver the washing liquid in the bladder to which the urinary catheter is connected to the drainage tank;
A flow control valve installed on the catheter connection line to control the flow rate of the cleaning solution passing through the catheter connection line;
An electronic control unit comprising a pump control unit that outputs operation signals of the first and second linked quantitative pumps, a valve control unit that outputs operation signals of the flow control valve, and an MCU (Micro Control Unit) that controls the pump control unit and the valve control unit;
A first fluid detection sensor installed on the supply line to measure whether the cleaning liquid flows on the supply line; and
A second fluid detection sensor is provided on the discharge line to measure whether the washing liquid flows on the discharge line,
A bladder cleaning device characterized in that the electronic control unit further comprises a sensor control unit that processes sensor values supplied from the first fluid detection sensor and the second fluid detection sensor and transmits them to the MCU. In claim 1,
A bladder washing device characterized in that it further includes a first check valve installed on the supply line to prevent backflow of the washing solution. In claim 2,
A bladder washing device characterized in that it further includes a second check valve installed on the discharge line to prevent backflow of the washing solution. delete In claim 1,
A bladder washing device characterized in that the above flow control valve is a three-way valve in which the longitudinal other end of the supply line, the longitudinal other end of the discharge line, and the longitudinal one side of the catheter connection line are connected. delete In claim 1,
A bladder washing device characterized in that the electronic control unit further includes a display unit that outputs information related to the supply and discharge of the washing solution. In claim 1,
It further includes a residual urine volume measuring unit that detects the amount of residual urine in the bladder,
A bladder cleaning device characterized in that the MCU controls the operation of the second peristaltic pump so that a fluid amount equal to the sum of the amount of residual urine in the bladder and the amount of cleaning solution supplied into the bladder is discharged into the drainage tank. delete In claim 1,
The above supply line further includes a fluid flow measurement sensor installed at the rear end of the second linked metering pump to detect the flow rate of the cleaning solution discharged into the drain tank.
A bladder washing device characterized in that the electronic control unit controls the operating speed of the second linked metering pump according to the washing liquid flow rate measured by the fluid flow measurement sensor.
delete