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

Award ID: 2330057

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. Todays 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 patients 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.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman