Urological drainage monitor

• US 4,206,767 A
• Filed: 10/31/1977
• Issued: 06/10/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medical Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Medical Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Wingrove, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Michell, Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US05/847,249
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 128/214 C-214 E, 128/2 F, 128/2 G, 128/DIG. 13, 128/275-276, 128/295, 128/272, 128/DIG. 5, 128/760, 128/762, 128/670, 128/672, 73/195-197, 73/219, 239/66-70, 141/237, 141/244
• US Class Current: 600/575
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/201 Assessing renal or kidney functions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/208 adapted to determine urine quantity, e.g. flow, volume

Abstract

A drainage monitor including a collector and a control unit. The collector has a lower, storage section made up of elongated parallel vertical chambers, a liquid manifold section above the chambers with a plurality of taps aligned with the chambers, and collapsible conduits connecting the taps with the chambers. The control unit includes an arrangement for supporting the collector, chamber valving apparatus aligned with the conduits and operable to compress them so as to prevent liquid flow, releasable solenoid-and-latch apparatus for preventing operation of the valving apparatus, and electrical timing circuitry for releasing the releasable apparatus in a predetermined sequence.

Claims

1. In a drainage monitor for receiving and displaying the urinary output of a subject;

a unitary array of elongated parallel closed storage chambers in fixed, side by side relationship, said chambers having individual input nipples in first ends thereof;

a continuous header of greater than capillary diameter passing transversely with respect to said first ends of said chambers and having a plurality of taps spaced therealong;

collapsible conduit means connected to conduct liquid from said taps to said nipples;

means affording an inlet connection to said header at one end thereof;

support means for suspending said chambers and said header with said chambers extending vertically below said header;

and valving means external to said conduit means for enabling and preventing passage of liquid therethrough.

2. A structure according to claim 1 in which said header is configured to prevent flow of liquid in said header beyond the first chamber in sequence enabled to receive said liquid.

3. A structure according to claim 1 in which said valving means includes a timer.

4. A structure according to claim 1 including manifold section which comprises said header and said inlet connection, said header extending from said inlet connection in a direction such that said taps become increasingly short and said taps being connected thereto in such a fashion that liquid does not flow into a tap from said inlet until all previous taps are full of liquid.

5. A structure according to claim 1 in which said chambers and said header are integral.

6. A structure according to claim 1, in which the valving means includes

(a) actuator means normally operative to prevent passage of liquid through said conduit means,

(b) releasable means for preventing operation of said actuator means, and

(c) control means for releasing said releasable means to enable operation of said actuator means.

7. In a urinary drainage monitor:

(1) a substantially flat liquid collector comprising

(a) a storage section including a unitary array of elongated, parallel chambers in fixed side-by-side relationship, said chambers having individual input nipples in first ends thereof,

(b) a continuous header of greater than capillary diameter passing transversely of said first ends of said chambers and having a plurality of taps spaced therealong in a predetermined sequence, and

(c) collapsible conduit means connected to conduct liquid from said taps to said nipples; and

(2) a control unit comprising

(a) support means for suspending said collector for visual observation with said chambers extending vertically below said header,

(b) chamber valving means positioned for alignment with said conduit means and including individual contact fingers resiliently operable into collapsing engagement therewith to thereby prevent passage of liquid therethrough,

(c) releasable means for preventing operation of said valving means, and

(d) control means for releasing said releasable means in said predetermined sequence to enable operation of said valving means.

8. A structure according to claim 7 in which said valving means are arranged to collapse said conduit means against a portion of said support means.

9. A structure according to claim 7 in which said control unit comprises a housing containing said valving means and said releasable means, and is provided with apertures through which the valving means engage said collapsible conduit means.

10. A structure according to claim 7, including rigid means engaging the sides of said conduit means remote from said control unit in alignment with said valving means.

11. In a drainage monitor;

(1) a substantially flat liquid collector comprising

(a) a storage section including a unitary array of elongated, parallel chambers in fixed side-by-side relationship, said chambers having individual input nipples in first ends thereof;

(b) a continuous header of greater than capillary diameter passing transversely of said first ends of said chambers and having a plurality of taps spaced therealong in a predetermined sequence, and

(c) collapsible conduit means connected to conduct liquid from said taps to said nipples; and

(2) a control unit comprising

(a) support means for suspending said collector with said chambers extending vertically below said header,

(b) chamber valving means positioned for alignment with said conduit means and including individual contact fingers resiliently operable into collapsing engagement therewith to thereby prevent passage of liquid therethrough;

(c) releasable means for preventing operation of said valving means, and

(d) control means for releasing said releasable means in said predetermined sequence to enable operation of said valving means,

(e) said support means including rigid means engaging the sides of said conduit means remote from said control unit in alignment with said valving means, in which said rigid means is integral with said chambers and said header.

12. A liquid collector comprising:

a storage section having a unitary array of elongated storage chambers in substantially flat side-by-side relation for separately receiving and displaying liquid, said chambers having individual inlet nipples in first ends thereof;

a manifold section integral with said storage section and having an inlet for liquid, an elongated header connected to said inlet, and a plurality of liquid discharge openings positioned along said header;

discrete collapsible conduit means interposed between said discharge openings and said nipples for connecting said chambers severally to said openings to enable and prevent flow of liquid therebetween; and

support means for suspending said collector with said chambers extending vertically below said header, and with said header sloping downwardly from said inlet.

13. A structure according to claim 12, including passage means and interconnecting said first ends of said chambers, said passage means being continued beyond the end of a chamber remote from said inlet, as an outlet from said storage section.

14. A structure according to claim 12 in which said storage chambers define front and rear surfaces and the front surface of said storage section being at least partly transparent, and the rear surface of said storage section being translucent and white so that different levels of visible fluids in said chambers give the visual appearance resembling a histogram.

15. A structure according to claim 14 in which said front of said storage section bears graduations correlated with the volumes of said chambers, measured from second ends thereof when the chambers are vertical, augmented by the volume of said header between said chamber.

16. A structure according to claim 12, in combination with a control unit comprising

support means for suspending said liquid collector with said chambers extending vertically, and

valving means positioned to engage said collapsible conduit means externally for enabling and preventing passage of liquid therethrough.

17. A structure according to claim 16 in which the valving means includes

(a) actuator means normally operative to prevent passage of liquid through said conduit means,

(b) releasable means for preventing operation of said actuator means, and

(c) control means for releasing said releasable means to enable operation of said actuator means.

18. A liquid collector comprising a manifold section and a storage section physically unitary therewith, said sections being formed from front and rear substantially rigid plastic members sealed together along their edges and elsewhere to define in said storage section a plurality of elongated chambers and in said manifold section an inlet, a header, and a plurality of taps,

said chambers being in parallel, substantially flat, side-by side relationship and extending away from said manifold section, the ends of said chambers nearest said manifold section being provided with nipples extending lengthwise from said chambers, in which said sections are cut away between said nipples and said openings,

and valvable means comprising collapsible tubes spanning the cut away portions.

19. Collection apparatus for displaying, in histographic form, the renal output of a patient as a function of time, comprising, in combination, a storage section, a manifold section, and collapsible means interconnecting said sections, each of said sections being formed from front and rear substantially rigid plastic members sealed together along their edges and elsewhere to define in said storage section a plurality of elongated chambers and in said manifold section an inlet, a header, and a plurality of taps,

said chambers being in parallel, substantially flat, laterally apposed spaced relationship extending away from said manifold section, the ends of said chambers nearest said manifold section being provided with nipples extending lengthwise from said chambers,

and said inlet, said header, and said taps being interconnected in fluid conducting relationship, with said taps positioned in alignment with and spaced from said nipples.