| 摘要 |
A flushable midstream urine collector which is discardable, dissolvable, and flushable in the water of a common flush toilet without obstructing or damaging the water discharge lines of the waste water system is disclosed. The collector includes an open-ended tubular body which defines a flow passage and a cup member which is mounted in the flow passage. The cup member by-passes the initial and terminal portions of the urine stream when a patient voids into the collector, but the cup member collects a midstream sample which may be easily transferred from the cup member to a collection tube. The primary structural components of the tubular body and cup member are formed from a water-soluble material which will dissolve or disperse when disposed in the water of a toilet bowl. However, thin protective layers of water-insoluble material line the interior of the tubular body and cup member for preventing urine passing through the device from initiating premature dissolution of the primary components of the collector. When discarded in the water of a toilet bowl, the water in the bowl envelopes the collector, initiates dissolution of the primary components of the device, and the protective layers of the device, which are relatively weak, collapse or disperse once the primary layers of the device lose their structural integrity. Thereafter, the entire device can be flushed through the water discharge lines without obstructing or damaging the waste water system.
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