GB2109117A

GB2109117A - A flowmeter for monitoring the flow-rate from the urinary bladder

Info

Publication number: GB2109117A
Application number: GB08125275A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Whittle Martin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-08-19
Filing date: 1981-08-19
Publication date: 1983-05-25

Abstract

The flowmeter comprises a funnel-shaped receptacle made from a blank (10) into which a patient can urinate and which has at or adjacent to its smaller end an aperture (24) which permits predetermined rate of discharge of urine from the receptacle. The flowmeter may have means for indicating any build-up of urine within the receptacle which will occur when the flow-rate from the urinary bladder exceeds said predetermined rate of flow from the receptacle. The indicating means may comprise cobalt chloride, which will change colour when in contact with urine, impregnated in the wall of the receptacle which can be made of cardboard or plastics material. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A flowmeter for monitoring the flow-rate from the urinary bladder.

This invention relates to a flowmeter for monitoring the flow-rate from the urinary bladder.

In order that a medical practitioner may make or confirm or refute a diagnosis of bladder outflow obstruction it would be of great advantage if the flow-rate from the bladder could be monitored quickly and easily and it is an object of this invention to provide a flowmeter whereby this can be achieved.

According to the invention, there is provided a flowmeter for monitoring the flow-rate from the urinary bladder, comprising a funnel-' shaped receptacle into which a patient can urinate and which has at or adjacent to its smaller dimensioned end at least one aperture which is so dimensioned as to permit a maximum predetermined rate of flow of urine from the receptacle.

The flowmeter should be used when the bladder is full and there is a desire to pass urine. If there is a build-up of urine above the aperture then the flow-rate from the urinary bladder is greater than the maximum rate determined by the dimensions of the aperture.

If there is no build-up of urine above the aperture, the fow-rate from the urinary bladder is less than the maximum rate determined by the dimensions of the aperture.

Preferred and optional features of the invention are set forth in Claims 2-12.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank from which one embodiment of a flowmeter according to the invention can be constructed, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the flowmeter constructed from the blank of Fig. 1 in an extended position, and Figure 3 shows the flowmeter of Fig. 2 when folded flat.

Referring to Fig. 1, a cardboard blank 10 shown therein defines slightly more than a quadrant and its outer edge 11 deviates slightly from the circumference of a circle centered at the apex 12 of its two radically extending edges 13 and 14. The blank is divided into four segments 15-18 by three equi-angularly spaced fold lines 19, 20 and 21. An additional fold line 22 is provided between fold lines 19 and 20 and this allows the blank to be folded therealong in an opposite sense to that allowed by the fold lines 19-21 for a purpose which will become apparent later. The segment 17 has a semicircular portion 23 integral with its outer edge and this portion 23 defines a zone for receiving details of the patient. The upper surface of the blank as shown in Fig. 1 may be impregnated with a chemical which will change colour when in contact with urine, e.g. cobalt chloride.The segment 17 also has an aperture 24 adjacent to its apex for a purpose which will become apparent later.

The segment 18 has a layer 25 of double sided adhesive material attached to its upper surface as viewed in Fig. 1 and the blank is folded about the fold lines 19-21 to form the pyramidical funnel shaped receptacle of triangular cross-section shown in Fig. 2 with the underside of the segment 15 as viewed in Fig. 1 in contact with the surface of the layer 25 shown exposed in Fig. 1.

Provision of tge fold line 22 allows the receptacle to be folded flat or substantially flat as shown in Fig. 3 for the purpose of storage and packaging and to enable the user to take it to his home.

Normally, two flowmeters are provided, each with an aperture 24 of a different size and dimensioned for example to allow urine to flow therethrough at the rate of 15 ml/second and 10 ml/second respectively.

As mentioned previously the flowmeters, which are disposable, are used to enable a medical practitioner to make, confirm or refute a diagnosis of bladder outflow obstruction from whatever cause.

The flowmeter should be used only when the bladder is full and there is a desire to pass urine. The 15 ml/second flowmeter is used first. The patient is instructed to pass urine into the receptacle at full pressure and the urine will immediately begin to flow out of the aperture 24. If there is no build-up of urine in the receptacle as indicated by the impregnated cobalt chloride or by direct visual inspection it will follow that the flow rate is 15 ml/second or less. Conversely, if a build-up of urine is obtained, indicated by a change in colour of the impregnated cobalt chloride above the aperture 24 or by direct visual inspection, it will follow that the flow rate is greater than 15 ml/second.If no build-up of urine is obtained with the 15 ml/second flowmeter, the patient is instructed to repeat the procedure with the 10 ml/second container and to report the result back to the medical practitioner.

Many variations may be made to the flowmeter as described above within the scope of the invention and for example the aperture 24 may be replaced by a hole at the apex of the receptacle and, if desired, fitted with a plastics nozzle.

The flowmeter need not include an impregnated chemical, in which case urine build up will be detected by direct visual inspection.

Such inspection may be aided by a plurality of level lines on the inner wall of the receptacle and located at spaced intervals from the apex of the receptacle.

The receptacle need not be of carboard but could be of plastics material which may be lined with a material, e.g. paper, impregnated with cobalt chloride or another suitable chemical which will change colour on contact with urine.

Alternatively, the cobalt chloride may be impregnated in one or more strips e.g. cardboard or paper and supported in the receptacle. The strip or strips may be removable from the receptacle for ease of reading the result.

Claims

1. A flowmeter for minitoring the flow-rate from the urinary bladder, comprising a funnelshaped receptacle into which a patient can urinate and which has at or adjacent to its smaller dimensioned end at least one aperture which is so dimensioned as to permit a maximum predetermined rate of flow of urine from the receptacle.

2. The flowmeter of Claim 1, further comprising means for indicating any build-up of urine within the receptacle when the flow rate from the urinary bladder exceeds said maximum predetermined rate of flow from the receptacle.

3. The flowmeter of Claim 2, wherein the indicating means includes a chemical which will change colour when in contact with urine.

4. The flowmeter of Claim 3, wherein the chemical is cobalt chloride.

5. The flowmeter of Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the funnel-shaped receptacle is of material or is internally lined with material in which said chemical has been impregnated.

6. The flowmeter of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the funnel-shaped receptacle is of cardboard.

7. The flowmeter of Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the chemical is impregnated in one or more strips of material supported within the receptacle.

8. The flowmeter of Claim 7, wherein the or each strip is removable from the or its respective receptacle.

9. The flowmeter of Claim 1, wherein the inner wall of the receptacle has a plurality of level indicators located at spaced intervals from the apex of the receptacle.

10. The flowmeter of anyone of the preceding Claims, wherein the receptacle is of pyramidical shape.

11. The flowmeter of Claim 10, wherein the receptacle is of triangular cross-section.

12. The flowmeter of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the receptacle has fold lines whereby it can be folded flat or substantially flat.

13. The flowmeter of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the receptacle has a zone for receiving details of the patient.

14. A flowmeter for measuring the flowrate from the urinary bladder, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

15. A kit comprising at least two flowmeters each as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, the apertures in the funnelshaped receptacles of the at least two flowmeters being of different dimensions so that the maximum predetermined rate of flow from each receptacle is different.