Automatic surgical sponge counter and blood loss determination system
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical sponge detection system includes a plurality of surgical sponges (2) having radio frequency identification tags (1) securely attached thereto and a non-optical hand-held reader (40) for detecting the sponges by detecting the tags (1). Also disclosed is a device (30) for automatically counting, weighing, and calculating blood loss contained within, soiled surgical sponges (2) which includes a cabinet with an opening (3) at the top through which sponges (2) are deposited, a reader (6) which scans each sponge (2) entered and determines sponge type from a tag (1) affixed to each sponge (2), and a disposable bag (8) into which the sponges (2) are deposited. The disposable bag (8) is removably mounted to a weighing scale (10); there is also a rear door (9) from which the disposable bag (8) can be easily removed, a rechargeable battery (11), a shelf (12) for unused disposable bag storage, a control unit (4) which processes data received from reader (6) and scale (10) and instantaneously calculates total weight of liquid contained within sponges entered, a display panel (5) continuously displays the number and type of sponges entered during a given procedure as well as the total weight of liquids retained in those sponges. There is a means for automatically determining the weight of the sponges when dry which includes a non-optical scanner means (6) which can read an indicating means (1) on the sponges (2) even when the indicating means (1) is covered with blood or other body fluids.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. (canceled)
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2. (canceled)
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3. (canceled)
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5. (canceled)
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6. (canceled)
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10. A surgical sponge apparatus comprising:
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(a) a surgical sponge made of an absorbent material for absorbing fluids during surgery and having a dry weight before being used to absorb fluids; and
(b) an indicating tag on the sponge body that indicates the type of sponge on which it is located, the indicating tag being readable by a non-optical scanner. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 29, 32)
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18. A surgical sponge apparatus, comprising:
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(a) a sponge body of an absorbent material for absorbing fluids during surgery;
(b) an RF tag attached to the sponge that enables the sponge to be detected by a non-optical scanner; and
(c) the RF tag including information encoded on the tag about the sponge. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33)
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27. (canceled)
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31. (canceled)
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34. (canceled)
Specification