System and method for ensuring proper medical instrument use in an operating room

• US 20060142739A1
• Filed: 02/03/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Depuy Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Depuy Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: DiSilestro, Mark R., Dietz, Terry, Sherman, Jason T., Hastings, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,896,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00203 with speech control or speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0803 Counting the number of times an instrument is used
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags

Abstract

A system for managing medical instrument use during a surgical procedure may comprise a number of medical instruments, a display device configured to display any of the number of medical instruments, a microphone for transmitting voice commands identifying different ones of the number of medical instruments, and a controller. The controller is responsive to the voice commands to control the display device to display corresponding ones of the number of medical instruments.

Claims

1. A system for managing medical instrument use during a surgical procedure, the system comprising:

a number of medical instruments,

a display device configured to display any of the number of medical instruments, and

a controller configured to control the display device to sequentially display specified ones of the number of medical instruments to be used during a surgical procedure, the specified ones of the number of medical instruments being sequentially displayed in an order defined by the surgical procedure.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the display device is a monitor coupled to the controller, the monitor including a display screen configured to display the any of the medical instruments.

3. The system of claim 1 further including a feedback device actuatable to provide information back to the controller.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the feedback device is actuatable to prompt the controller to control the display device to display a first one of the number of medical instruments to be used during the surgical procedure.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the feedback device is actuatable to notify the controller when the first one of the number of medical instruments to be used during the surgical procedure has been selected for use.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the controller is responsive to the notice that the first one of the number of medical instruments to be used during the surgical procedure has been selected for use to control the display device to display the notice.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the feedback device is actuatable to notify the controller when use of the first one of the number of medical instruments to be used during the surgical procedure is complete.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the controller is responsive to the notice that the use of the first one of the number of medical instruments to be used during the surgical procedure is complete to control the display device to display the next one of the number of medical instruments in the order defined by the surgical procedure.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein at least two of the number of medical instruments cooperate to form a single instrument,

and wherein the controller is configured to control the display device to simultaneously display the at least two of the number of medical instruments to thereby display the single instrument.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is operated in tandem with a computer assisted surgery system.

11. The system of claim 1 further including means for identifying any of the number of medical instruments,

wherein the controller is operable to control the means for identifying any of the medical instruments to identify corresponding ones of the number of medical instruments as they are being sequentially displayed.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for identifying any of the medical instruments includes:

at least one light source, and

an actuator responsive to actuator commands produced by the controller to direct light produced by the at least one light source toward any one or more of the medical instruments.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one light source includes at least one laser.

14. A method of managing medical instrument use during a surgical procedure, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a first one of a number of medical instruments to be used in the predefined surgical procedure,

displaying a next one of the number of medical instruments to be used in the predefined surgical procedure when use of the previous one of the number of medical instruments is complete, and

repeating the step of displaying the next one of the number of medical instruments until all of the number of medical instruments to be used in the predefined surgical procedure have been used.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of displaying the next one of the number of medical instruments includes providing a signal when the use of the previous one of the number of medical instruments is complete.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of displaying the next one of the number of medical instruments includes displaying the next one of the number of medical instruments to be used in the predefined surgical procedure only after the signal is received indicating that use of the previous one of the number of medical instruments is complete.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of displaying a first one of a number of medical instruments to be used in the predefined surgical procedure includes displaying the first one of the number of medical instruments on a video monitor.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of displaying a first one of a number of medical instruments to be used in the predefined surgical procedure includes displaying at least a subset of the number of medical instruments including the first one of the number of medical instruments on a video monitor.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of displaying a first one of a number of medical instruments to be used in the predefined surgical procedure includes displaying at least a subset of the number of medical instruments including the first one of the number of medical instruments via a video projector onto a surface.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of displaying a first one of a number of medical instruments to be used in the predefined surgical procedure includes directing light from a light source toward the first one of a number of medical instruments.

21. A system for managing medical instrument use during a surgical procedure, the system comprising:

a number of medical instruments,

a display device configured to display any of the number of medical instruments,

a microphone for transmitting voice commands identifying different ones of the number of medical instruments, and

a controller responsive to the voice commands to control the display device to display corresponding ones of the number of medical instruments.

22. The system of claim 21 further including means for identifying any of the number of medical instruments,

wherein the controller is responsive to the voice commands to control the means for identifying any of the medical instruments to identify corresponding ones of the number of medical instruments.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the means for identifying any of the medical instruments includes:

at least one light source, and

an actuator responsive to actuator commands produced by the controller to direct light produced by the at least one light source toward any one or more of the medical instruments.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the at least one light source includes at least one laser.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the display device is a heads up display device.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to be trained to recognize and be responsive to the voice commands identifying any of the number of medical instruments.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to track a sequence of use of ones of the number of medical instruments used in the surgical procedure.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the controller is configured to save the sequence in a database.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the controller is configured to track a duration of use of each of the number of medical instruments used in the surgical procedure.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the controller is configured to save the duration of use of each of the number of medical instruments used in the surgical procedure in a database.

31. The system of claim 21 wherein at least two of the number of medical instruments cooperate to form a single instrument,

and wherein the controller is configured to control the display device to simultaneously display the at least two of the number of medical instruments to thereby display the single instrument.

32. The system of claim 21 wherein the system is operated in tandem with a computer assisted surgery system