GB1563795A - Treatment of urinary diseases - Google Patents

Description

(54) TREATMENT OF URINARY DISEASES (71) We, THE LONDON HOSPITAL MEDICAL COLLEGE, a British Body Corporate of Turner Street, London E.1., do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention is concerned with improvements in and relating to the treatment of diseases of the urinary bladder.

It has been found that certain diseases of the urinary bladder (e.g. bladder cancer or bladder haemorrhage) may be treated by a hyperthermia technique, i.e. by passing through the bladder a sterile liquid (generally saline or water) at a temperature above body temperature, especially at a temperature of from 65 to 85"C, and it is one object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for so doing.

According to the invention therefore, there is provided apparatus for the treatment of urinary diseases by hyperthermia comprising a catheter (generally a Foley catheter) having at least three channels, namely an inlet channel for the introduction of a heated sterile fluid into the bladder and an outlet channel for the removal of fluid from the bladder, and a third channel containing a temperature sensing device; the inlet channel being connected to means for supplying a heated sterile fluid, comprising a reservoir (suitably a flexible plastics reservoir) for containing the fluid, means for heating the fluid and a pump (conveniently a peristaltic pump) for pumping the heated fluid to the catheter, the heating means comprising a thermostat controlled by the temperature sensing device in the third channel of the catheter. The means for heating the fluid from the reservoir will suitably comprise heat-exchange means and thus, may simply comprise a coil of tubing (generally plastics tubing), immersed in a heated water bath.

In order to control the temperature of the heated fluid the water bath will be thermostatically controlled by means of a thermostat immersed therein in the conventional manner. However, as will be appreciated, failure of this thermostat could rise to very serious problems and, accordingly, in accordance with the invention the catheter is provided with a third channel containing, generally at its distal end, a temperature sensing device which is in turn connected to the thermostatic control for the water in the water bath. Since this temperature sensing device will be generally at the temperature of the heated fluid entering the bladder it will serve as a more refined control for the temperature of the fluid and will also serve, in the event of possible failure of the basic thermostatic control on the water bath, to ensure that the water entering the bladder does not reach too high a temperature.

In order that the invention may be well understoood reference will now be made to the diagrammatic drawing accompanying the provisional specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises a sterile fluid reservoir 1 connected via tubing (conveniently plastics tubing) 2 to heating coil 3 immersed in the water in water bath 4. The other end of heating coil 3 is connected via tubing 5 to peristaltic pump 6 which is in turn connected via line 7 to the inlet channel 9 of a catheter 8. The water in water bath 4 is heated by means of electrical heater 12 which is supplied with current via line 13 from thermostatic control device 14 the operation of which is controlled by a sensing device 15 connected thereto via line 16 and immersed in the water in water bath 4.

The operation of thermostatic control device 14 is also controlled by a temperature sensing device (not shown) in the distal end of catheter 8 and located in channel 11 thereof. Catheter 8 is shown only representationally in the drawings and, as shown, comprises three channels 9, 10 and 11, channel 10 being for the removal of waste fluid via waste disposal line 18. It will, of course, be understood that in practice the arrangement of channels 9, 10 and 11 in catheter 8 will not be as shown, for example they may be concentrically arranged as in a Foley catheter.

In operation, peristaltic pump draws liquid from reservoir 1 via tubes 2 and 5 and heating coil 3 wherein it is heated by the water in water bath 4 to the desired temperature, as controlled by thermostatic device 14 in response to signals from temperature sensing devices in the water bath and at the distal end of catheter 8.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. Apparatus for the treatment of urinary diseases by hyperthermia comprising a catheter having at least three channels, namely an inlet channel for the introduction of a heated sterile fluid into the bladder, an outlet channel for the removal of fluid from the bladder and a third channel containing a temperature sensing device; the inlet channel being connected to means for supplying a heated sterile fluid comprising a reservoir for containing the fluid, means for heating the fluid and a pump for pumping the heated fluid to the catheter, the heating means comprising a thermostat controlled by the temperature sensing device in the third channel of the catheter.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the cetheter is a Foley catheter.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the means for heating the fluid comprises a coil of tubing immersed in a heated water bath and in which the temperature of the heated fluid in the water bath is thermostatically controlled by means of a thermostat immersed therein and controlIed by the temperature sensing device.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the drawing accompanying the provisional specification.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (4)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The operation of thermostatic control device 14 is also controlled by a temperature sensing device (not shown) in the distal end of catheter 8 and located in channel 11 thereof. Catheter 8 is shown only representationally in the drawings and, as shown, comprises three channels 9, 10 and 11, channel 10 being for the removal of waste fluid via waste disposal line 18. It will, of course, be understood that in practice the arrangement of channels 9, 10 and 11 in catheter 8 will not be as shown, for example they may be concentrically arranged as in a Foley catheter. In operation, peristaltic pump draws liquid from reservoir 1 via tubes 2 and 5 and heating coil 3 wherein it is heated by the water in water bath 4 to the desired temperature, as controlled by thermostatic device 14 in response to signals from temperature sensing devices in the water bath and at the distal end of catheter 8. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. Apparatus for the treatment of urinary diseases by hyperthermia comprising a catheter having at least three channels, namely an inlet channel for the introduction of a heated sterile fluid into the bladder, an outlet channel for the removal of fluid from the bladder and a third channel containing a temperature sensing device; the inlet channel being connected to means for supplying a heated sterile fluid comprising a reservoir for containing the fluid, means for heating the fluid and a pump for pumping the heated fluid to the catheter, the heating means comprising a thermostat controlled by the temperature sensing device in the third channel of the catheter.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the cetheter is a Foley catheter.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the means for heating the fluid comprises a coil of tubing immersed in a heated water bath and in which the temperature of the heated fluid in the water bath is thermostatically controlled by means of a thermostat immersed therein and controlIed by the temperature sensing device.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the drawing accompanying the provisional specification.