Infection Prevention Urinary Catheter

The goal of the project is to design and develop a urinary catheter that can reliably reduce the incidence of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs).

=Problem Definition=

Background
Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
 * CAUTIs are the most common type of nosocomial (hospital-related) infection. About 23% of patients in US hospitals require the use of a urinary catheter. The risk of acquiring a CAUTI increases by about 3-7% each day that an indwelling urinary catheter remains inside the patient.

Value Proposition

 * Currently, in the medical field, CAUTIs are perceived as an inevitable illnesses. Team Infection protection focuses on CAUTI prevention to give patients and healthcare workers peace of mind.

Deliverable

 * Develop a catheter design that will reduce bacterial growth and build-up within the urinary tract. The design must be manufacturable on a large scale basis, and it must be adaptable in size.

Specifications
=Design Considerations=

=Project Learning=

Understanding the Root Cause of Infection
While using a catheter, a patient will become more susceptible to bacteria encroachment. The body has a natural defense to UTIs through recurrent urination throughout the day. A catheter inhibits the flow of urine in direct contact the urethra. Instead, urine flows intraluminally through the waste channel, and the urethra is left stagnant.

The anatomy of the human body leads to heightened risks of infection. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the most common type of bacteria that causes UTIs. The E. coli typically migrates from the anal cavity to the external urethral orifice (opening). Once the bacteria has entered the urinary tract, it can spread all throughout the urethra to the bladder, and if not treated, into the bloodstream.

Early Prototyping Methods
=Chosen Design (preCAUTIon Catheter)= {| ! scope="col" width="width:30em;" | ! scope="col" width="width:20em;" |

Composition
This design features 3 ports and 3 distinct channels. The largest channel is for waste drainage. The remaining two channels are the same size, with one being for the balloon anchor, and the other for urethra irrigation.The outer profile of the catheter includes a spiral to create space within the urethra.
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How It Works
The catheter was designed to bio-mimic the natural bodily function, urination. To do so, the design allows for an irrigation solution to be injected into the appropriate irrigation port. The flushing solution travels through the catheter tube up to the base of the balloon, where the fluid is released to the urethra. The fluid then spirals down and out of the urinary tract, while establishing contact with the maximum urethral tissue surface area.
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=Validation=

Bacteria Test

 * Results
 * The "cloudy" streaks on the control plate indicate substantial bacterial growth on the Foley catheter. The few spots on the experiment plate demonstrate the preCAUTIon Catheter's ability to effectively remove bacteria from the urethra.



How the Foley Catheter is Made

 * The first step in the manufacturing of a Foley catheter is the production of the long, thin tube that will be inserted into the bladder. The liquid rubber silicone is poured into a room temperature vulcanization (RTV) rubber mold.  The mold is shaped like the desired catheter with either two or three outputs.
 * The silicone is then heat cured. This procedure can take anywhere from 0.5 to 40 hours. Once cooled, the tube is withdrawn from the mold.
 * A small opening is then punched in the distal end of the tube furthest away from the two outputs.
 * A thin band of cured latex is slipped over the tube by hand to form a sheath around the tube. It is positioned so that the latex covers the opening that has been punched in the tube.
 * To form the balloon, the entire length of the tube is dipped in latex, which creates an overcoat layer and bonds the band to the tube proximate to the distal and proximal ends of the band, forming the balloon. This adds to the thickness of the balloon and is used to adjust the outer diameter of the tube to the desired size.
 * The catheter is then transported to the packaging center where it is put into a kit with a needleless syringe (to fill the balloon) and a drainage bag
 * Read more about catheter production here

Slight Change in the Manufacturing Process
=Team Members=

=Additional Documentation=

Project Schedule



Meeting Agenda



Meeting Minutes



Presentations



Budget