HIStrCath
The HIStrCath™ is a newly patented technology available for licensing. The HIStrCath™, short for Hunt Innovations Straight Catheter, is a sterile, single-use urethral catheter device engineered to address one of the most persistent problems in clinical urine collection: contamination. Even when a catheter is used, the very first portion of urine that enters the catheter can pick up bacteria and other contaminants from the tissue surrounding the urethral opening or from the insertion process itself. This source of contamination has long been the weak point in catheterized sample collection, and the HIStrCath™ significantly reduces it.
The device works by automatically allowing the first portion of collected urine to flush the system of contaminants. Then, with a simple flick, the clinician redirects the flow of urine into the sterile tube and collects the sample. The entire process is managed with one hand. The clinician holds the HIStrCath™ in one hand, uses the other to expose the urethral opening, inserts the catheter, and operates the flow control valve. The result is a urine sample that is substantially free of the contaminants that routinely compromise conventional collection.
The HIStrCath™ was designed with the most challenging patient populations in mind. Female patients, pediatric patients, elderly patients, obese patients, and those who are incapacitated or unresponsive are all groups for whom clean urine samples are particularly difficult to obtain. The HIStrCath™ addresses that gap directly, offering a reliable, repeatable collection method that does not depend on patient cooperation or ideal anatomy.
From a manufacturing standpoint, the HIStrCath™ is well-suited for cost-efficient production at scale. The device’s key proprietary components, a molded cap and a molded spout, require just two polypropylene injection molds, and once those molds are established, per-unit manufacturing costs are minimal. The standard sterile kit includes the HIStrCath™ cap, the catheter itself, the centrifuge tube, sterile gloves, betadine swabs, and a sterile drape.
Special Features
Integrated channel to allow the initial contaminated urine flow to be discarded/wasted.
One-handed device operation during catheterization.
Vented sterile cap allows for urine to freely flow into the collection tube.
Sized for adult female and pediatric patients.
Designed specifically for patients for whom obtaining a contamination-free urine sample is difficult
PRODUCT FEATURES & BENEFITS
PRODUCT DETAILS
The HIStrCath™ is built around a straightforward but highly functional architecture. At its core is a fluid conduit, a catheter tube with a first end that is inserted into the urethra and a second end that connects to the diverter assembly at the top of the device. When insertion is complete, urine begins flowing naturally through the catheter. That initial flow carries contaminants picked up during insertion and is allowed to pass through freely, flushing the system before collection begins. Once that contaminated portion has cleared, the clinician flicks the spout, redirecting flow into the attached centrifuge tube to capture the clean sample.
The fluid diverter device sits at the proximal end of the conduit and houses the flow control valve, the waste channel outlet, and the collection channel outlet. The spout pivots around a central axis between two positions: in the first position, all urine flow is directed into the waste channel, purging the contaminated initial volume; in the second position, urine flow is redirected into the collection channel and down into the sterile collection receptacle/centrifuge tube. Shifting between positions is done manually by the clinician, requiring nothing more than a deliberate push of the valve during the procedure.
The cap assembly connects the diverter body to the centrifuge tube and includes a vent structure that allows displaced air to escape as urine fills the collection tube, preventing the pressure buildup that can interrupt urine flow in conventional catheters. The cap is designed to allow the spout to pivot. Once collection is complete, the clinician flicks the spout downward to seal the cap, then removes the entire HIStrCath™ assembly and sends it directly to the lab, where the centrifuge tube is placed immediately into processing.
The HIStrCath™ can elevate your product portfolio to new heights. We are seeking a long-term arrangement with a company to manufacture, market, and/or distribute this new technology based on the acquisition of the intellectual property rights . Contact us below
Contact Us
Our VP of Business Development, Amy Schleicher, is ready to answer any questions you may have.
Phone: 913-201-8025
E-mail: Amy@bankonip.com
Patent Information
Inventor Highlight
Dr. Stephen J. Hunt is a retired emergency physician from Sandy, Utah, with 25 years of practice in the emergency department. Over the course of his career, Dr. Hunt worked in a high-volume ED serving approximately 40,000 patients per year, where catheterized urine collection was a routine procedure performed 20 times daily on average. That firsthand clinical experience and the contamination problems he observed repeatedly in conventional catheter sampling were the direct motivation behind the development of the HIStrCath™. Dr. Hunt retired from emergency medicine two years ago and has since focused on bringing this technology to market through the patent licensing process.
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