I like many thousands of other men and women must wear a suprapubic catheter for the rest of our lives to drain urine from the bladder which for various reasons no longer functions to dispel what the kidneys continue to generate and send to the bladder. The catheters are made of silicone, polyurethane or latex and connect to a plastic graduated conical plug which itself plugs into the end of a silicone tube up top (think fish tank tubing) that itself connects at its other at the bottom to another plastic graduated conical plug assembly molded into a leg bag, belly bag or a night bag used to collect and then drain the urine.
The leg bag is worn strapped around the ankle and is attached to the catheter once in the morning then disconnected at night when retiring for sleep when the catheter is attached to the night bag which generally lies on the floor draped over the side of the bed during a sleep cycle. The night bag uses the same plastic graduated conical plug to attach itself to the catheter. The belly bags use the same methods of connectivity.
The catheter and the urine collection bags must be and are replaced monthly as a medically neccessary routine. For each type of bag that’s at least 30 connections and disconnections on a daily basis which in due time causes the silicone end of the catheter to loosen and compromise just enough of its friction fit memory to decouple circumstantially resulting in uncontrolled drainage which may or may not be felt or conciously aware of until the sensation of being soaked in urine or observing a pool of urine on the floor at one’s feet. This also occurs when wearing the night bag soaking the bed.
Two Points of Connectivity Failure: leg and belly bags.
One Point of Connectivity Failure: night bags.
Imagine our dilemma day and night during which one and often more connectivity events occur throughout the monthly wear cycle.
A Viable Solution
The problem is not a medical device design flaw but the nature of the materials used for this particular type of medical device.
Materials such as silicone, polyurethane or latex that are derived from laboratory research have found many uses. Each type of material has its own unique properties one of which is known in the field of material science as “memory” and another relevant property known as “fatigue.”
Stretching tubing with pressure exerted by a plastic plug will create a friction fit. The material will stretch a bit while always wanting to return to its previous state; that’s “memory.”
Over time multiple connections and disconnections that occur on a daily basis weaken the material’s molecules and causing memory to become lax; the result being stress on the connection which having become “fatigued” can and will result in disconnection.
The solution is simple and effective: a plastic clamp similar to a PexLock® clamp:
The 3/8″° PexLock clamp at the point of connectivity has proven an –almost– ideal solution as observed, worn and proven…
ALMOST
because any of us can use 3D CAD and 3D printers to make clamps ourselves and even market them for sale but they may be deemed medical devices which may be a barrier to bringing relief to thousands of people whose quality of life is seriously compromised.