Flushable disintegration catheter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10874769-B2
Application number	US-201415103399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2014
Priority date	Dec 12, 2013
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

Medical devices that are flushable in a standard toilet are disclosed. The medical devices are made at least in part of material that when introduced into water (of a toilet) disintegrate and/or fragment or are fragmentable before or after introduction into water such that they can be easily carried by the water through the disposal system. At least a portion of the device is intended for insertion into a patient or subject wherein the body-insertable portion retains its structural integrity while in use but is fragmentable once outside the body and exposed to a selected condition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A medical device comprising a non-insertable portion and a fragmentable shaft having a single lumen, wherein the shaft includes a body-insertable portion having a length wherein at least said body-insertable portion is made at least in part of a material selected to retain said body-insertable portion intact when inserted in the body of a subject and wherein said body-insertable portion comprises multiple fracture points spaced from one another along the length of the shaft to allow at least said body-insertable portion to fracture into multiple pieces of said shaft along the length of at least said body insertable portion when outside said body and under a selected condition.

2. The medical device of claim 1 wherein said selected condition comprises contact with water.

3. The medical device of claim 1 where said selected condition comprises the presence of an agent selected to promote disintegration of at least said body-insertable portion.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said agent is separate from said device.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein said non-insertable portion contains said agent.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said selected material includes a chemical compound dispersed throughout at least said body-insertable portion.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said selected condition comprises a liquid solvent having a pH of less than approximately 7.0.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said selected condition comprises an effervescent liquid environment.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said selected condition comprises a liquid of increasing temperature of a liquid with which said medical device is in contact when outside said body.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein at least said body-insertable portion comprises a plurality of fibers embedded therein.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein said fracture points include a material different from said selected material.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein said fracture points have a solubility different from the solubility of the remainder of said body-insertable portion.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the body insertable portion of the shaft comprises a single continuous flow path that is broken into discontinuous flow path segments when the body insertable portion is fragmented.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least said body-insertable portion fractures into multiple shorter pieces of said shaft along the length of at least said body insertable portion when outside said body and under a selected condition.

Assignees

• Hollister Inc

Inventors

• Clarke John T
• Henry Jerome A
• Foley Adam J
• Rostami Shamsedin
• Carter Enda F
• Montes De Oca Balderas Horacio

Classifications

• A61L29/041 Primary

  obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• A61L29/148

  Materials at least partially resorbable by the body · CPC title

• B29C44/02

  for articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles · CPC title

• A61M25/0017

  specially adapted for long-term hygiene care, e.g. urethral or indwelling catheters to prevent infections · CPC title

• B29L2031/7542

  Catheters · CPC title