U-Drain for people needing night drainage of urine or dialysis fluid

Level of innovation

Three specialist commentators felt that the U‑Drain was a novel approach to overnight drainage. None of the commentators felt that any significant user training would be needed and none were aware of any technologies that had superseded U‑Drain.

Potential patient impact

Three of the specialist commentators identified potential benefits from using U‑Drain; however, 2 felt that there was a lack of evidence to determine these. One specialist commentator reported that people who have used it report that they feel more in control of their urine drainage. They added that U‑Drain provides people with another option for managing night drainage from their urostomy.

One specialist commentator thought that use of U‑Drain would improve patient outcomes, reduce infections and leakages as well as ensuring good night drainage. People with long-term catheters would particularly benefit from U‑Drain. One commentator speculated that U‑Drain could help to reduce infections, but another stated that research to establish the impact on kidney infection rates for urostomy patients would be useful.

One commentator highlighted some concerns around the practicalities of installing U‑Drain. These include the risk of the external drainage pipe freezing in the winter, and the risk of tripping over the tubing inside the room. They note that the person may need to sleep in a room close to the external soil pipe, and this may not be the best room for them to sleep in. The position of the bed and proximity to the external wall may also be a consideration. They also queried whether the system is under negative pressure because this can cause occlusion of the bladder mucosa in catheter users. One specialist commentator was unsure how well it would work in the community rather than in a residential care setting.

Potential system impact

Commentators noted that the use of the U‑Drain may increase NHS costs for those people having night drainage of urine but there may be a reduction in staffing costs for emptying and changing night bags, and potential for cost savings if infections are reduced. The cost for installation is met by the patient using urine bags and by the NHS for people having automated peritoneal dialysis.

One specialist commentator believed that the U‑Drain could reduce care staff attendance to empty the used night urine bag, which could be of particular benefit to people who are unable to leave their rooms.