Automated Pass-Through Surgical Instrument Tray Reader

• US 20100108761A1
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Warsaw Orthopedic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Warsaw Orthopedic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Pelo, Mark, Nycz, Jeffrey H., Tethrake, Steven M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/33 Trays
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

An apparatus and method for interrogating and automatically identifying a radio-frequency tagged surgical instrument tray and its contents of RFID-tagged surgical instruments are disclosed. The surgical instrument tray and its contents come into contact with an RF signal transmitted by the RFID reader, and as a result, the RFID tags affixed on the instrument tray and the surgical instruments respond by transmitting back to the RFID reader data pertaining to the history of the surgical instruments. A data terminal, which is connected to the RFID reader, may contain data pertaining to the radio frequency tagged surgical instruments during packaging, and during the return of the surgical instrument trays to the packager, identifies the surgical instruments.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A method for verifying contents of a surgical instrument tray, comprising:

moving a surgical instrument tray into a wireless radio frequency (RF) field of an RF reader, the surgical instrument tray including a plurality of surgical instruments each tagged with an RFID tag, the RFID tag including instrument data related to the respective surgical instrument;

receiving at the RF reader an RF signal containing the instrument data from the tagged surgical instruments;

transferring the read instrument data to a data terminal connected to the RF reader;

comparing the read instrument data to a database that includes predetermined surgical instrument data to assess the contents of the surgical instrument tray; and

displaying the read instrument data and the predetermined surgical instrument data.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

detecting a mismatch between the read instrument data and the predetermined surgical instrument data.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

detecting a missing instrument based on comparing the read instrument data and the predetermined surgical instrument data.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

detecting an extra instrument based on comparing the read instrument data and the predetermined surgical instrument data.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the predetermined surgical instrument data includes usages, age, and repair information for the plurality of tagged surgical instruments.