Urinary drainage appliance

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Briefly, the present invention comprises a flexible drainage tube, a major portion of the length of which is enclosed by an inflatable balloon having a ribbed, or corrugated portion along its length for sealing engagement with the interior of the stoma through which the tube is inserted into the bladder (whether natural or artificial).
The portion of the balloon surrounding the inner end of the tube, which is inserted into the bladder, has an enlarged diameter, bulbous configuration.
The wall thickness of the balloon is made lesser along its ribbed portion than at its bulbous end, so that inflation of the balloon occurs in two distinct stages: first, along the ribbed length of the balloon that is situated in the urinary passage formed by the stoma; and second, at the bulbous end situated within the bladder.
The bulbous balloon end, when inflated, surrounds the inner end of the drainage tube, and extends slightly beyond it axially, to prevent the tube from coming into contact with the bladder tissues, with the aforementioned consequences.
A retainer plug is provided at the outer end of the tube.
The plug has an inner flange to assist in stabilizing the appliance in place and further sealing against leakage, and an outer flange for removable attachment of a collection bag.
Inflation of the balloon is by means of a suitable fluid (gas or liquid) delivered from a syringe or the like through a series of passages formed in the plug and the sidewall of the tube, which passages deliver the fluid to the space between the tube and the balloon.
As will be appreciated more thoroughly from the detailed description which follows, the present invention offers several distinct advantages over the prior art devices.
First, the ribbed construction of the balloon provides a firm but gentle sealing engagement with the uneven surface of the tissues lining the stoma, thereby substantially eliminating leakage while maintaining comfort.
Second, the bulbous tip of the balloon provides an effective fluid-tight seal around the tube at the opening of the bladder into the urinary passage, thereby further minimizing leakage