Flexi – Next Generation Urinary Catheter (3 pat. pending)

– By 2050 the amount of men that will suffer from enlarged prostate is projected to be 137 million worldwide. When enlarged prostate occurs the most common treatment is to provide the patient with a catheter in order to void. Many of these patients suffer not only from enlarged prostate, but also other age related diseases like dementia, which makes it difficult for them to handle an intermittent(instant use) catheter by themselves. An indwelling catheter ("indwelling" means inside your body) connected to a urine bag is therefore usually used to collect the urine and for taking samples. An indwelling catheter can be inserted for up to 3 months at a time before being replaced with a new one. The most commonly used indwelling catheter have looked the same since the Foley catheter was invented in the 1930s and brings a whole range of problems like infections due to urinary strictures and bladder penetration.

This project was initiated by researchers at Umeå University and led to 3 patents which is pending and will hopefully help many elderly in the future.

User Need – Voiding with enlarged prostate

2015 / 10 weeks

Collaboration with: 
Maja Hedlund

"This is the most neglected area within healthcare"

"Years of study has gone into searching for new materials and coatings for the catheter, my opinion is that the real problem lies within the design of the catheter." – Roger Feneley, Emeritus Consultant Urologist to the North Bristol NHS Trust, Visiting Professor, University of the West of England

"The best would be if the catheter could be stiff when inserted but soft when being used"

- Bengt Friedrich, Senior Physician Dep. of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences

How it works

The two main components of the Flexi kit are the stiff inserter core and the soft silicone catheter. The stiff inserter and the catheter come prepared as one unit. The stiff core makes the catheter rigid during insertion. The inserter also makes the tip of the catheter flex upwards, thereby helping to easily bypass ‘upwards bends’ and obstacle in the urethra like the prostate. The caregiver controls the flexing motion during the insertion using a simple ‘syringe grip’, making the tip flex.

Flexi is a new solution of an indwelling urinary catheter without the risk of damage inside the bladder and reduce the risk of getting infections. The user will feel that they have emptied the bladder after voiding because of the relocation of the balloon, working as a bumper around the tip, and lowering of the drainage inlets on the catheter tip. The softness of the catheter will reduce the pressure on the urethra and make the usage of the catheter more comfortable. The new connection between the catheter and the urine bag will prevent leakage and the patient will never have to worry about "peeing themselves”.