Digital Uroflowmetry for Office and Home

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Abstract Uroflowmetry is the most common urodynamic test performed by urologists to assess the function of the lower urinary tract. This simple non-invasive study measures urinary flow rates and when summarized graphically offers insights into various types of lower urinary tract symptoms. Current systems call upon a patient to void into a commode with a funnel to direct the flow of urine into a vessel placed on a digital scale which in turn drives its output into a processor. The processor is connected to a printer which produces summary data such as voided volume, peak flow, average flow, total void time, as well as a graphical representation of the flow curve anywhere from 20-30 seconds after the void is initiated or completed. The physician or their assistant will then empty the vessel, and the system can be used again. Traditionally the paper containing the printed collected data was filed into a paper chart. Today this tracing is taped to a 2nd paper containing the patient’s name and medical record number, and this is scanned into the electronic record as an image and the data become non-searchable. Given this labor intensive process which is restricted to the office, conventional uroflowmetry is ripe for disruptive innovations that will allow for testing in the patient’s home or office with the data being driven into the electronic medical record (EMR). We seek to offer a service to address to these logistical problems based on a detector that is paired with customized software. Our detector fits in any regular toilet (it can be used in an office setting or at home by males and females). Uroflow data are acquired in real time by a blue tooth or tablet, which sends the data to the UroGenie cloud based server, and the summary data is delivered into the EMR. This will allow for a physician to review multiple flows over time to monitor a patient’s progress without having to open up each individual image. In this proposal we seek to refine our detector, and modify the software to work in the home market, and test the service in both office and home locations. Once this system is fully operational we envision this system being used in office and home settings, and playing a role in drug trials for lower urinary tract symptoms. The instantaneous detection of flow rate also means it has the potential for future applications in biofeedback training for selected patients with specific lower urinary tract symptoms.