Medical Technologies of Georgia
Closed System Urinary Catheters
Challenge
Faced with global competition due to their original flagship product coming off-patent, Medical Technologies of Georgia (MTG) wanted to develop a novel product to address deficiencies that current intermittent urinary catheter products had. They set out to make self-catheterization of the bladder possible for anyone, including tetraplegic users with very limited hand dexterity.
Approach
Self-catheterization is difficult. Our first step was to identify which factors we could change to make this process easier, and then design and develop a device system that could meet these criteria. We also recognized that the urinary catheter market is cost-sensitive, and so we formulated concepts, prototyped various versions, and selected those that worked best while remaining inexpensive to implement. Some of the biggest challenges we sought to address with catheterization products were retraction of the catheter tube during insertion, difficulty gripping the small tube inside of the drainage bag, and the discrete use and disposal of the product. Addressing these issues led to the creation of several key product features: the MTG EZ-Advancer, the MTG EZ-Gripper, and the MTG Mini-Pak. The patented EZ-Advancer valve secures the catheter tube after each forward advancement, preventing the tube from retracting during insertion. The EZ-Gripper is a patented gripper handle outside of the bag that allows for easy tube advancement. Finally, each of these features were included and provided in sterile packaging that was half the size of the previous product for some models.
Outcome
Created the MTG EZ-Gripper and MTG EZ-Advancer to provide individuals with an easier and more discrete means to self-catheterize, even if they have limited hand dexterity.