Radiologically trackable surgical sponges

• US 20050016776A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ballard M. Daniel
• Original Assignee: Ballard M. Daniel
• Inventors: Ballard, M. Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,001,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 177/25.130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/375 for sponges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0805 automatically, e.g. by means of magnetic, optical or photoelectric detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/37 for absorbent articles, e.g. bandages, garments, swabs or towels
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/00 Apparatus for or methods of weighing material of special form or property determining weight by measuring volume G01F
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/42 for counting by weighing G01G19/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

The apparatus and method is provided that employs a “radiopaque” object to count and account for surgical sponges in an operating room. A radiopaque object is embedded in surgical sponges so that a scanning device can detect and count a large number of the sponges within a container. The container is designed to minimize contact with the sponges by humans. In addition, a surgical team can insure that no surgical sponge is left in a patient without performing the messy and time-consuming job of individually counting sponges as they are entered and disposed of from the surgical site.

Claims

1. A trackable, surgical sponge, comprising:

a surgical sponge; and

a passive, radiographically detectable object affixed to the surgical sponge, wherein the radiographically detectable object appears to have substantially the same outside dimensions when viewed from different angles.

2. The trackable, surgical sponge of claim 1, wherein a characteristic feature of the radiographically detectable object corresponds to a particular type of surgical sponge.

3. The trackable, surgical sponge of claim 2, wherein the characteristic feature of the radiographically detectable object is related to the size of the radiographically detectable object.

4. The trackable, surgical sponge of claim 2, wherein the characteristic feature of the radiographically detectable object is related to a type of material of the radiographically detectable object.

5. The trackable, surgical sponge of claim 1, wherein the radiographically detectable object is spherical.

6. The trackable, surgical sponge of claim 1, wherein the radiographically detectable object is non-spherical.

7. The trackable, surgical sponge of claim 1, wherein the radiographically detectable object is metal.

8. The trackable, surgical sponge of claim 1, wherein the radiographically detectable objects comprise a non-metallic radiopaque substance.

9. The trackable, surgical sponge of claim 8, wherein the non-metallic radiopaque substance is barium sulfate encased within a non-water-soluble material.

10. A method of tracking and counting surgical sponges, comprising the steps of:

affixing a plurality of radiopaque objects in a plurality of surgical sponges, wherein each surgical sponge has one (1) radiopaque object;

scanning a container containing a number of the plurality of surgical sponges that have been employed in a surgical field;

determining, based upon the number of radiopaque objects detected in the scanning step, the number of surgical sponges in the container; and

reporting the number of surgical sponges in the container.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of surgical sponges includes surgical sponges of at least two different sizes and the corresponding radiographically detectable objects include objects of at least two different sizes and the size of each particular radiographically detectable object corresponds to the size of the corresponding surgical sponge.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

calculating an amount of fluid contained in the surgical sponges in the container by subtracting a calculated weigh of the surgical sponges in the container.

13. A surgical sponge, comprising:

a tightly-woven, absorbent fabric; and

a passive, radiographically detectable object securely affixed to the fabric, wherein the radiographically detectable object appears to have substantially the same outside dimension when viewed from different angles.

14. The surgical sponge of claim 13, wherein the sponge is one of at least two different types of sponges and corresponding radiographically detectable objects include objects of at least two different types, the type of each particular radiographically detectable object corresponding to the type of the corresponding surgical sponge.

15. The surgical sponge of claim 14, wherein the types of radiographically detectable objects are related to the size of the radiographically detectable objects.

16. The surgical sponge of claim 14, wherein the types of radiographically detectable objects are related to a feature other than size of the radiographically detectable objects.

17. The surgical sponge of claim 13, wherein the radiographically detectable objects are spherical.

18. The surgical sponge of claim 13, wherein the radiographically detectable objects are non-spherical.

19. The surgical sponge of claim 13, wherein the radiographically detectable object is metal.

20. The surgical sponge of claim 13, wherein the radiographically detectable object is a non-metallic radiopaque substance.