ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 2 -- United States Patent no. 12,485,266, issued on Dec. 2.
"Catheter slide valve device" was invented by Stephen Nardi (Anthem, Ariz.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A slide valve device for use with suprapubic catheters comprises a tube featuring a conically shaped inlet end that securely connects to an end of a catheter. An outlet end of the device has a diagonal cut for smooth fluid discharge. A valve mechanism includes a valve housing positioned perpendicularly on the tube and a slide valve equipped with an aperture. The aperture aligns with a through passage in the tube. The slide valve has a convex end and a concave end that provide tactile and visual cues for iden...