INSTRUMENT TRACKING CONTAINER AND METHOD

• US 20080150722A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Jackson, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US11/615,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20080150722A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00221 with wireless transmission of data, e.g. by infrared radiation or radiowaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/005 with a lid or cover
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/30 Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments for wound clamps A61B17/10; for ligaturing clips A61B17/122; packages or dispensers for surgical gloves or finger-stalls A61B42/40
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/70 Cleaning devices specially adapted for surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/186 Peroxide solutions
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/122 Chambers for sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/14 Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/17 Combination with washing or cleaning means
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/24 Medical instruments, e.g. endoscopes, catheters, sharps
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A system and method provide for holding and tracking medical instruments. The method includes the steps of: associating one or more of the medical instruments with a container and storing that association within a control system associated with the container, each of the medical instruments bearing a machine readable identification tag bearing information about itself; querying a contents of the container with a tag reader to identify which instruments are therein; and determining whether the container contains each of the instruments associated with the container and only those instruments and outputting that determination to a user.

Claims

1. A system for holding and tracking medical instruments, the system comprising:

a container for holding at least one of the medical instruments associated with the container;

each of the medical instruments bearing a machine readable identification tag bearing information about the at least one instrument;

a tag reader associated with the container; and

a control system linked to the tag reader which compares the information as read by the tag reader with pre-programmed data to match the at least one instrument to the container.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the control system further includes an output device which indicates based upon the information read from the tag and the pre-programmed data whether the at least one instrument belongs in the container.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of the instruments are associated with the container and wherein the control system is programmed to detect whether all of the instruments are properly within the container.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein the control system further includes an output device to inform a user whether all of the instruments are properly within the container.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein when one or more of the instruments associated with the container are not in the container, the output device further lists which of the instruments are missing from the container.

6. A system according to claim 4 wherein if one or more instruments not associated with the container are detected in the container the output device further lists which instruments are improperly in the container.

7. A system according to claim 3 wherein each of the instruments is identified by its type.

8. A system according to claim 3 wherein each of the instruments is identified with a unique identifier.

9. A system according to claim 1 wherein the tags are RFID tags and the tag reader is an RFID tag reader.

10. A system according to claim 1 wherein the tag reader is located on the container.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein the tag reader is provided on a unit separate from the container.

12. A method for holding and tracking medical instruments, the method comprising:

associating one or more of the medical instruments with a container and storing that association within a control system associated with the container, each of the medical instruments bearing a machine readable identification tag bearing information about itself;

querying a contents of the container with a tag reader to identify which instruments are therein; and

determining whether the container contains each of the instruments associated with the container and only those instruments and outputting that determination to a user.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein a plurality of the instruments are associated with the container and the method includes the step of informing the user whether all of the instruments are properly within the container.

14. A method according to claim 13 and further including the step of when one or more of the instruments associated with the container are not in the container, informing the user which of the instruments are missing from the container.

15. A method according to claim 14 and further including the step of if one or more instruments not associated with the container are detected in the container informing the user which instruments are improperly in the container.

16. A method according to claim 12 wherein each of the one or more instruments is identified by its type.

17. A method according to claim 12 wherein each of the one or more instruments is identified with a unique identifier.

18. A method according to claim 12 wherein the tags are RFID tags and the tag reader is an RFID tag reader.

19. A method according to claim 12 wherein the instruments comprise a set designed for a medical procedure and the method includes the step of making sure each of the instruments of the set are placed into the container prior to the procedure.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the method further comprises the step of ensuring that each of the instruments in the set which are reusable are returned to the container after the medical procedure.