RFID-tagged urinary catheter

• US 20090281523A1
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brett B. Greenky, John J. Sacco
• Original Assignee: Brett B. Greenky, John J. Sacco
• Inventors: Greenky, Brett B., Sacco, John J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,114,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/523
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0008 having visible markings on its surface, i.e. visible to the naked eye, for any purpose, e.g. insertion depth markers, rotational markers or identification of type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/60 with identification means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0017 specially adapted for long-term hygiene care, e.g. urethral or indwelling catheters to prevent infections
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture

Abstract

A hand-held RFID scanner appliance is employed to capture and display status of urinary catheters in hospital patients. The patients are provided with RFID wrist bracelets, and catheters are provided with RFID tags, each with a unique identification code. When the nurse performs a catheter insertion, the nurse scans the patient wrist bracelet with the appliance, then scans a selected catheter. After the catheter is successfully inserted, the catheter is scanned a second time. This creates a time stamp, and a data entry is recorded with the patient identity, presence of catheter, and time of insertion. The appliance is synchronized to the hospital server, and the catheterization status of the hospital patients is displayed for the medical practitioners. This process aids in preventing hospital-acquired urinary tract infections.

Claims

1. In combination:

a plurality of urinary catheters for a number of patients for whom a catheter has been prescribed, each catheter including a flexible tube adapted to be inserted into the ureter of the patient and to remain in place until removed, and having an external portion adapted to be attached to a urine collection receptacle; and

a catheter RFID tag having a unique scannable ID code uniquely identifying said urinary catheter;

a plurality of patient identity wrist bracelets each incorporating a respective patient RFID tag having a unique scannable ID code uniquely identifying a respective one of said patients;

hand-held scanner device adapted for scanning said catheter RFID tags and said patient RFID tags, said scanner device including a display, a suitably programmed internal processor, and software which begins an insertion sequence upon the scanning of one of said patient RFID tags and then scanning of one of said catheter RFID tags, produces a time stamp of a successful catheter insertion upon a second scanning of said catheter RFID tag, and which for each of said patients, stores and displays the patient identity, presence or absence of one of said catheters in said patient, and time of insertion of the catheter in the patient.

2. Combination according to claim 1, wherein each said urinary catheter includes a Foley catheter having an inflation port, and wherein the associated RFID tag is affixed onto the inflation port.

3. Combination according to claim 1, comprising an application server capable of communicating with said hand-held device for storing patient data and catheter data based on information scanned into said hand held device, and containing software for producing a report listing the identity of each patient who has been administered a catheter, and listing an associated targeted removal time for each such patient.

4. Combination according to claim 3, wherein said said hand held device displays said listing of patients and said listing of associated targeted removal times.

5. Combination according to claim 1, wherein said hand held scanning device includes an operator actuated status switch to enter removal of a catheter from the associated patient.

6. Combination according to claim 1, wherein said hand held device includes a capability for displaying the patient identity and target time for removal of catheter upon scanning of the wrist bracelet of the associated patient.

7. Method of tracking indwelling catheter use in hospital patients, in which a plurality of RFID patient bracelets are placed upon respective ones of said hospital patients, and a plurality of catheters each have a catheter RFID tag, each said RFID bracelet having a unique patient identification code, and each said catheter RFID tag having a unique catheter identification code, the method comprising:

scanning the RFID patient bracelet for one of said patients on a portable RFID scanner appliance;

selecting one of said catheters for insertion in the patient;

scanning the RFID tag of the selected one of the catheters with said RFID scanner appliance to commence a catheterization sequence;

after scanning the RFID tag thereof, inserting said catheter in the patient; and

after insertion of the catheter, again scanning the RFID tag of said catheter;

whereupon

the RFID scanner appliance creates a data record including identity of the patient, successful insertion of the catheter, and a time stamp of the insertion of the catheter.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising creating a display on said scanner appliance showing a list of patients having catheters and associated catheterization data for said patients.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising synchronizing catheterization data stored on said RFID scanner appliance with a hospital server.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of synchronizing includes placing said appliance into a docking station that communicates with said hospital server.