Dr. Curt Samlaska is a proponent for reducing the occurrence of catheter-caused urinary tract infections (UTIs) in hospital patients. As such, he is also an inventor to create what he needs.
Traditional urine collection bags have a T-valve; existing bags can slide out. This can get easily contaminated because it’s open to air from the bottom—so it’s really not a closed system. Dr. Samlaska helped redesign a new T valve which has caps on the end that essentially keep the ends completely sanitary after they’re sterilized. There is also a sterile screw cap on the exit port so that when it is removed to drain urine, the cap can go back on using sterile technique—it essentially keeps the entire urine path germ-free. There are also replacement caps if one drops or becomes contaminated.
The design is similar to hospital IVs with IV caps where replacement caps are thrown away to use new ones.
J and M Urinary Catheters’ designs are getting tremendous attention in the hospital setting because UTIs are very common. Medicare officials can come in and fine a hospital a million dollars if the infection rate is too high.
UTIs are common in men and women after hospital procedures; women tend to get UTIs more often than men because women’s urethra is shorter than in a man’s penis. This creates a greater risk of infection because there’s a shorter pathway between the contamination point and the bladder.
UTIs in men are fairly uncommon. However, when a catheter is put in, all bets are off—men and women are in the same boat as far as relative risk.
Straight catheters are used by many patients who have incontinence issues. Traditional straight catheters are difficult to control; after it’s inserted into the bladder, it just flows.
J and M Urinary Catheters have also developed a pinch valve within a straight catheter that does not let urine flow unless it’s pinched. Pinch and it flows, release and it closes.
Dr. Samlaska is proud to have worked with J & M Urinary Catheters, a company that specializes in reducing claims for hospital re-admits due to catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and bringing these products to the market.
Read Part I for more about Dr. Samlaska’s inventions.
Click here for more information about Dr. Samlaska’s education and experience.