URINE VOLUME ESTIMATION DEVICE, METHODS FOR ESTIMATING URINE VOLUME AND ESTIMATING URINATION TIMING, AND PROGRAMS FOR ESTIMATING URINE VOLUME AND ESTIMATING URINATION TIMING

摘要

The number of patients with urinary incontinence (UI), lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), or overactive bladder (OAB) has been on the increase. Existing portable urination detection instruments are intended for measuring the presence or absence of urine and the degree of volume of the urine, and detecting the time of urination, are not approved as medical instruments, and can be made available for use only by care staff or individuals at elderly facilities, etc. When it comes to use of such detection instruments at facilities, an increase in price range due to complex ultrasonic signal arrays is considered to be a cause of hindering widespread utilization. In addition, frequent power supply and creation of infrastructure have been essential.　The present invention pertains to a method for estimating changes in urine volume by measuring, along a time axis, the electric permittivity of a human body and changes observed in signal conversion processing of a capacitance obtained by calculating, by arithmetic circuits, the reception strength of a low-frequency electric signal between two electrodes disposed across the bladder. This urine volume estimation device can be easily worn or carried around so as to enable not only medical institutions/facilities but also general users or outpatients to monitor changes in urine volume and urination timing over a wide geographical area, including at home and away from home, on a continual basis.