Prostatic Stent and a Detachable Catheter Apparatus Comprising the Same

• US 20080234832A1
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marian Devonec
• Original Assignee: Marian Devonec
• Inventors: Devonec, Marian
• Granted Patent: US 8,070,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/23.7
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 27/008 pre-shaped, for use in the urethral or ureteral tract

Abstract

The present invention is an endo-prostatic stent and a detachable catheter apparatus including the same, allowing the correct positioning of the stent using tactile feed-back of the operator during insertion i.e. without the need for any imaging means like endoscopy or sonography.

Claims

1. A detachable catheter apparatus for insertion into a bladder a male living being through an urethra having a sphincter of said living being to convey urine, said catheter apparatus extending along a longitudinal axis, and comprising:

a) a tube assembly comprising a distal tube section having a closed distal end and a proximal opened part, said distal end including at least one orifice to enable urine from the bladder to enter the distal tube section and to flow into and through the distal tube section, across a connector and through said sphincter;

a proximal tube section having a distal part and a proximal end;

said connector connecting the proximal part of said distal tube section and the distal part of said proximal tube section together;

said connector being attached to said proximal tube section at a point of attachment situated below tongues of an expandable member of said proximal tube section,

b) an insertion device slidably receivable into said tube assembly, said insertion device comprising an elongated inner alignment rod having a contact distal end and an insertion proximal end portion, said rod being longitudinally sized to extend into the tube assembly wherein the contact distal end contacts the closed distal end of said distal tube section while the proximal end portion projects outwardly from said tube assembly; and

an outer pusher tube having a bore longitudinally therethrough and sized to slidably receive said alignment rod,

c) an expandable member disposed circumferentially about and longitudinally along the distal part of said proximal tube section, and operative to move between an expanded state wherein the expandable member expands radially outwardly and abuts against said sphincter and a collapsed state wherein the expandable member collapses,

d) a controller for expansion and/or collapse of said expandable member.

wherein;

said expandable member disposed on said proximal tube section is arranged to abut permanently in said expanded state against said sphincter and to oppose any upward movement in said urethra of said catheter apparatus,

and, optionally, said catheter apparatus comprises another expandable member disposed circumferentially about and longitudinally along the proximal part of said distal tube section, said another expandable member being arranged to be self working between a collapsed state, when said catheter apparatus moves upwards in said urethra towards the bladder, and an expanded state permitted by said urethra and opposing to any downward movement of said catheter apparatus.

2. A catheter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distal part of said proximal tube section consists of said expandable member which comprises flexible said tongues distributed about said proximal tube section, each of said tongues being arranged to be elastically biased towards a radial and outward position, and said controller comprises a sheath adapted to enclose said distal part of said proximal tube section and constrain all tongues in a collapsed position lying in the longitudinal direction of said catheter apparatus.

3. A catheter apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when at said radial and outward position, each tongue extends obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis towards the distal end of said catheter apparatus.

4. A catheter apparatus according to claim 1, comprising said another expandable member, which comprises flexible second tongue distributed about said distal tube section, each of said tongues being arranged to be elastically biased towards a radial and outward position.

5. A catheter apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in said radial and outward position, each said second tongue extends obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis towards the proximal end of said catheter apparatus.

6. A catheter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connector of said tube assembly connects a proximal end of said distal tube section adjacent to said another expandable member and a distal portion of said proximal tube section adjacent to said expandable member.

7. A catheter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connector comprises threads distributed about the longitudinal axis of said catheter apparatus, attached on opposite ends respectively to said proximal end of said distal tube and said distal portion of said proximal tube section.

8. A prostatic stent consisting of a tube assembly comprising a distal tube section having a closed distal end and a proximal opened part, said distal end including at least one orifice to enable urine from the bladder to enter the distal tube section and to flow into and through the distal tube section, across a connector and through said sphincter;

a proximal tube section having a distal part and a proximal end;

said connector connecting the proximal part of said distal tube section and the distal part of said proximal tube section together;

said connector being attached to said proximal tube section at a point of attachment situated below tongues of an expandable member of said proximal tube section.

10. A prostatic stent according to claim 8, wherein said distal part of said proximal tube section consists of said expandable member which comprises flexible said tongues distributed about said proximal tube section, each of said tongues being arranged to be elastically biased towards a radial and outward position, and said controller comprises a sheath adapted to enclose said distal part of said proximal tube section and constrain all tongues in a collapsed position lying in a longitudinal direction.

11. A prostatic stent according to claim 8, wherein when at said radial and outward position, each tongue extends obliquely with respect to a longitudinal axis towards the distal end of said stent.

12. A prostatic stent according to claim 8, comprising said another expandable member, which comprises flexible second tongues distributed about said distal tube section, each of said tongues being arranged to be elastically biased towards a radial and outward position.

13. A prostatic stent according to claim 12, wherein in said radial and outward position, each said second tongue extends obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis towards the proximal end of said stent.

14. A prostatic stent according to claim 8, wherein said connector connects a proximal end of said distal tube section adjacent to another expandable member and a distal portion of said proximal tube section adjacent to said expandable member.

15. A prostatic stent according to claim 8, wherein said connector comprises threads distributed about a longitudinal axis of said stent, attached on opposite ends respectively to said proximal end of said distal tube and said distal portion of said proximal tube section.

9. (canceled)