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Male Urinary Incontinence
Depending on what type of incontinence you have, you and your doctor can work together to find the best way to cope with your lack of urinary control. It is important that you understand all the options available to you.
You probably have tried several treatments already. Chances are, they have not been effective and/or acceptable to you. This is why your doctor may recommend that you receive a Sphincter 800.
The AMS Sphincter 800 has been used successfully for almost 30 years in over 50,000 men to provide simple, discreet urinary control. It is a small device that is placed completely inside your body. No parts are visible once the Sphincter 800 is in place.
The Sphincter 800 functions
like a healthy sphincter in that it keeps the urethra closed until you want
to urinate. It does this by automatically moving sterile fluid, such as saline (salt and water), through three main components a cuff around the urethra, a pump and a balloon. These components are connected by flexible tubing.
The Sphincter 800 has proven to be extremely effective in treating male incontinence and is considered the gold standard by many urologists. When using this device, most men are dry or experience only minor leaks or dribbles, usually with strenuous exercise or exertion. Most men use one pad or less per day to manage these minor leaks.
The Sphincter 800 works just like a healthy, natural sphincter.
Just as a healthy sphincter usually stays tightly squeezed around the urethra to keep it closed, the Sphincter 800 cuff contains fluid that gently squeezes the urethra to keep it closed.
When you need to urinate, you release the pressure on the urethra so that urine can flow. To release the pressure, you squeeze and release the pump located in your scrotum. This action pulls the fluid from the cuff and sends it to the balloon. When the cuff is empty, it no longer presses the urethra closed, and urine can flow out of the bladder in a matter of seconds.
Minutes after the bladder is empty, the fluid automically returns from the balloon through the pump and to the cuff. Once the cuff is refilled, the urethra is squeezed closed again.
Placing the Sphincter 800 inside your body requires surgery. Like you, many men who have received a Sphincter 800 were at first hesitant about undergoing surgery. However, they all say it was easier than their previous surgery, and they now wish they had chosen the Sphincter 800 sooner.
The procedure generally lasts about an hour and is usually an outpatient surgical procedure; a general or spinal anesthetic is used to put you to sleep. One or two small incisions are made to place the cuff, pump and balloon.
Before surgery, your doctor will give you an explanation of what will happen during your hospital stay and how to prepare for surgery. Your doctor will also go over the surgical procedure in more detail and will describe the associated risks. Be sure to discuss any concerns with your doctor right away. You should also discuss pain with your doctor so that you know what to expect after surgery.
