Intraurethral Energy Harvesting from Urine Flow as an Approach to Power Urologic Implants

Abstract

Active urologic implants, such as bladder stimulators or artificial sphincters, are a widely-used approach for therapy of urinary incontinence. At present these devices are powered by primary batteries or conventional wireless power transferring techniques. As these methods are associated with several limitations, human body energy harvesting can be a promising alternative or complement for power supply. This paper introduces an approach to harvest energy from the urine flow inside the urethra with a mechatronic harvesting system based on a hubless flow turbine. Using a test bench approximating the flow conditions of the lower urinary tract, the feasibility of the harvesting principle is shown in-vitro.Clinical Relevance-Intraurethral energy harvesting to power implants for therapy of urinary incontinence can contribute to extend implantation times and thus avoid invasive surgical procedures. I. INTRODUCTIONA. Urinary Incontinence Urinary incontinence (UI), which refers to any involuntary loss of urine, is a highly prevalent condition significantly affecting the patients' quality of life and represents highly relevant socio-economic problem [1]. Patients are reported to be more likely to limit social contact [1, 2] and suffer from exhaustion, depression and anxiety [3]. The estimated prevalence of UI is reported to range from 25 % to 45 % in different studies, while it is more prevalent among women and the proportion of affected patients is rising with increasing age [4]. However, determination of the exact numbers of patients is difficult due to the tabooing nature of the topic. With the demographic change taking place in many industrialized countries and the increasing average age of the population, a rising incidence of urinary incontinence is expected. [5] To treat UI conditions, conservative methods, such as training of the pelvic floor muscles, can be used. In severe cases surgical implantation of an artificial urinary sphincter is considered, which, however, is associated with a high complication rate and requires a complex invasive procedure. [6,7]

Pinch Valve Approach for a Biofilm Resistant Mechatronic Intraurethral Artificial Urinary Sphincter*

“…Mainly super capacitors combined with a miniature energy harvesting system show promising results. Further details on this topic are shown in [10] and [12].…”