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Bladder control devices

Incontinence is the inability to voluntarily control the discharge of excretory materials. The condition may be caused by physical, neurological or psychological traumas. Incontinence is a major medical problem that affects several million Americans of all ages. This condition is the source of public stigma, often forcing those affected to withdraw from regular social activities. Urinary incontinence, in both males and females, is a significant medical problem. The use of bladder flow control devices, sometimes referred to as artificial sphincters or prosthetic urethral valves, is well known. Bladder flow control devices may be required due to loss of control or removal of the urinary sphincter muscle. A sphincter is a muscle that surrounds an opening, tube, or other vesel and serves to selectively close such a vessel. Sphincters are commonly associated with the bladder and urinary system, stomach entrances, and the anus. In each instance, the sphincter selectively opens and closes the vessel to respectively enable or inhibit the flow of a particular substance therethrough. Sphincter muscles are utilized by the body to close various duct tubes or orifices. The sphincter muscle encircles or surrounds its associated duct tube so that contraction of the sphincter will constrict the passageway. Urethral sphincter muscles, for example, preferably volitionally open and close the urethra during micturition. Where sphincter muscles or their associated nerves and fibers become inoperative because of disease or damage the unfortunate problem of incontinence will result. Many persons have non-functioning or malfunctioning sphincters which because of congenital malformations, trauma to the sphincter nerves or muscles, or disease of the sphincter nerves or muscles make it impossible for them to control the discharge of body waste. A known treatment for some cases of incontinence is to provide an individual with a mechanism to occlude the affected excretory body passage. These mechanisms are typically surgically implanted within the individual and are adapted to be operable by the individual to selectively open and occlude the body passage and to ease coping with the incontinence. The artificial sphincters for treating incontinence often employ a distally located fluid reservoir, usually of the balloon or bulb type, which in conjunction with one or more pumps serves to transfer fluid into or out of an inflatable cuff which is disposed about the body passageway to be occluded. When the cuff is inflated, the body passageway is occluded; when it is deflated the body passageway is opened and excretion occurs.

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