External Collection Device Manages Female Urinary Incontinence

A non-invasive, leak-free, external urine collection device helps manage female urinary incontinence (UI) in long-term care facilities.

The Tilla Care (Tirat HaCarmel, Israel) UriCap is an external urine collection device that is specifically designed to fit the female anatomy around the urethra, preventing contact between the urine and the skin to keep the patient dry and to prevent skin irritation. Connected to a standard urine drainage bag and changed only once per day, it can help healthcare facilities reduce the various costs associated with staff time, incontinence products, labor, laundry, and waste removal. UriCap is particularly useful for patients at night or those that are bedridden and suffer from UI.

“UriCap Female is a unique solution for women and the only fixed external urine collection device that totally avoids the odor of urine, keeping the patient dry and thus avoiding the toxic effect of urine on the skin,” said Michael Cohn, MD, founder of Tilla Care. “At the same time, it enables the monitoring of dehydration status, because UriCap Female allows you to observe the volume and the color of the urine.”

“The device is a significant innovation in geriatric medicine, and will contribute greatly to improving the quality of life of patients suffering from urinary incontinence and minimizing the serious consequences of this condition,” said Ali Asakla, director of the Moriah Estate long-term care facility (Shefaram, Israel). “The device has several advantages for patients as well as for the medical team; the same is true for treatment in hospitals, when the device is used as a replacement for a catheter.”

Urinary incontinence is about twice as common in women than men, and its likelihood rises with age. One large U.S. study found that almost one-quarter of women in their 60s and 70s said they had urine leakage at least once a month; the rate rose to one-third among women in their 80s. Caffeine might promote UI because it is a diuretic, and people who already have an overactive bladder may be more susceptible to those effects, since even low doses of caffeine can speed muscle contractions in the bladder. Risk factors for UI include obesity and past pregnancies with vaginal births.

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