I-Corps: Accessory device to improve safety of urinary catheters

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种医疗设备，在减轻医院工作人员负担的同时提高尿管的安全性。多达四分之一的住院患者需要导尿管，这相当于美国每年大约放置3000万根导尿管。今天的标准导尿管是通过尿路插入膀胱，并在导管末端用一个充气气球固定在膀胱内。如果导管被拔出或卡住，充气的气球就会被迫离开膀胱，撕裂尿路，损害周围的解剖结构。拟议中的医疗设备旨在防止这种创伤的发生，它极大地提高了数百万使用导尿管的患者的安全性。据估计，美国多达40万名患者经历了创伤性导管拔除，治疗相关并发症的平均成本为1万美元。这项拟议的技术还可以通过防止外伤性拔除导尿管和相关并发症为医院节省大量成本。这个i-Corps项目基于一种医疗设备的开发，该设备可以安装到尿管中，使导尿管在拔出或卡住时能够断开连接。建议的装置可以安装在沿导管长度的任何地方，从而将患者身体外可拉或卡住的管子长度降至最低。该设备设计成能够牢固地连接到导管管上，并能够承受超过50N的牵引力。与没有安装该装置的导管相比，该装置可以最大限度地提高尿流率，并且不会限制尿流。此外，该设备以所需的力断开，以防止创伤，并且可以无缝地重新连接以继续使用。原型还允许排出尿液，同时防止水从气球中逸出。目前正在进行研究，以最大限度地减少感染风险，确定最优的断开连接的力量，并确保最优的尿液排出可能有碎片。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a medical device that improves the safety of urinary catheters while reducing burden on hospital staff. Up to one in four hospitalized patients require a urinary catheter, which equates to about thirty million catheter placements in the U.S. each year. Today’s standard urinary catheter is inserted into the bladder through the urethra and is anchored inside the bladder using an inflatable balloon at the end of the tube. If the catheter is pulled or snagged, the inflated balloon is forced out of the bladder, tearing the urethra and damaging the surrounding anatomy. The proposed medical device is designed to prevent this trauma from occurring, which drastically improves the safety of urinary catheters for the millions of patients that use them. It is estimated that up to 400,000 patients in the US experience a traumatic catheter removal, and the average cost of treating the associated complications is $10,000. The proposed technology also may provide significant cost-savings to the hospital by preventing traumatic catheter removals and the associated complications.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a medical device that may be installed into a urinary catheter that allows the catheter to disconnect if pulled or snagged. The proposed device may be installed anywhere along the length of the catheter, which minimizes the length of tubing outside of the patient’s body that can be pulled or snagged. The device is designed to securely attach to the catheter tube and is able to withstand traction forces of over 50N. The device maximizes urine flow rate and does not constrict the flow as compared to a catheter that does not have the device installed. Further, the device disconnects at a desired force to prevent trauma and may be seamlessly reconnected for continued use. The prototype also allows urine to drain while preventing water from escaping the balloon. Research is underway to minimize infection risk, identify the optimal force for disconnection, and ensure optimal drainage of urine with possible debris.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.