Mother invents disposable medical device to collect urine samples

Molly suffers from the most sever form of Spina Bifida, Myelomeningocele, which causes parts of the spinal cord and nerves to come through an open part of the spine, causing nerve damage.

Collecting urine samples from Molly was an imperative part of detecting any conditions that the little girl might have but it was nearly impossible to collect from the wiggling and impatient 3-year-old.

Gotbeter tried other solutions like using a zip lock bag, but she needed something drastic. “The only other way to get urine, besides going in a cup, is to be catheterized,” Gotbeter said. “It’s extremely traumatic for the child.” That’s when Molly started to think about other possibilities.

“I had the idea and at my mom’s kitchen table we literally drew it out,” she said. “My mom drew it out on a lined piece of paper with a pencil and I laminated it and then I typed up something and laminated it and then I hooked them together with an O-ring to make it look as professional as possible.”

The design was sent to Jesse Goodwin, the associate director of the Foundation of Research Development (FRD) at MUSC, where she was able to help Gotbeter turn her drawing into a reality.

The device, which fastens over the toilet seat via an elastic band around the outside has a collection bowl at the bottom where the urine pools.

“You break the plastic seal on the bottom and it just drains out,” Goodwin answered as she carefully showed off the invention. The elastic band can also be stretched to fit over a regular toilet seat as well.

The prototype is ready, and Gotbeter hopes that it will be available to the public soon.

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/1KmCFvH

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