NHS Innovations North

Urine flow meter

The Problem

A constriction or obstruction in the urethra reduces the rate of flow of urine. There are many conditions that can cause this, such as prostate disorders, affecting approximately 50% of the male population over 40 years old and around 24,700 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the UK.

Diagnosis of a urodynamic obstruction by a GP is currently difficult due to the reliance on patient awareness and an accurate description of the flow relative to the patients ‘norm’. In general, a urination peak flow rate of greater than around 15ml/sec is considered normal for a man. A peak flow of less than 10ml/sec has an 80% chance of being associated with urodynamic obstruction. These levels are the same as those used by urologists internationally for diagnostic purposes.

Current devices for measuring urine flow rate are expensive and cumbersome; they require power, cleaning and maintenance, demanding use by trained staff, therefore normally available only in hospitals.

The Solution

The solution is for a low cost, disposable, single piece flow meter which the GP can issue to any patient whom the GP feels may be at risk or suffering from a constriction or obstruction. This not only assists the GP
but will also reduce patient distress from what is normally an invasive examination.

The Urine Flow Meter (invented by Professor Newton of Newcastle University and developed with the help of NHS Innovations North) comprises a transparent, thin-walled tube with a profiled orifice at the base. The meter has been shaped to enable patients to view their peak flow level from above without the need for assistance.

To simplify the procedure and interpretation, the tube’s profiled orifice has three sections. If the highest level of urine during flow is in the lowest section, a severe constriction or obstruction is highly probable, whereas a peak urine level within the central section indicates a lesser obstruction that needs monitoring. A peak flow urine level in the third section or higher would generally be treated as normal.

Benefits to the NHS

This is a low-cost meter for quantitative GP assessment of patient urine flow that gives patient the ability
to monitor their urine flow in privacy. The meter is disposable therefore there are no hygiene or cleaning
requirements. The urine flow meter will reduce the number of ‘unnecessary’ clinic referrals and encourage patients to identify urodynamic obstructions early, when treatment is most effective.

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