System and Method for Surgical Pack Manufacture, Monitoring, and Tracking

• US 20110313894A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medline Industries Incorporated (Medline Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Medline Industries Incorporated (Medline Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dye, Alan W., McMcMahon, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US13/155,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20110313894A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/04 for suturing wounds; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials suture materials A61L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06066 Needles, e.g. needle tip configurations making needles B21G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/08 Wound clamps or clips, i.e. not or only partly penetrating the tissue suture bridges A61B17/0466; Devices for bringing together the edges of a wound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3211 Surgical scalpels, knives; Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 42/00 Surgical gloves; Finger-stalls specially adapted for surgery; Devices for handling or treatment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/00 Surgical drapes
• 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 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/0003 Use of RFID labels
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2401/05 Tearable non-integral strips
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/04 Articles or materials wholly enclosed in single sheets or wrapper blanks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0776 the adhering arrangement being a layer of adhesive, so that the record carrier can function as a sticker
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07798 part of the antenna or the integrated circuit being adapted for rupturing or breaking, e.g. record carriers functioning as sealing devices for detecting not-authenticated opening of containers electronic seals G09F3/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/03 of security seals means for indicating unauthorised opening of container closures B65D, e.g. B65D27/30, B65D55/02; theft deterrent tags E05B73/0017
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices

Abstract

A wrapped surgical pack (400) includes a plurality of adhesive bindings (301,302) that retain an identification device (305) against an outer wrap (201) of the wrapped surgical pack (400). The identification device (305) is capable of being read by a remote reader (801). When the wrapped surgical pack (400) is opened, the physical structure of the identification device (305) is altered, thereby allowing one or more processors operable with the remote reader (801) to detect the opening event. A system (800) using the identification device (305) can be used for order fulfillment, inventory management, location tracking, and other systems.

Claims

1. A method of assembling a surgical pack, the method comprising:

assembling contents of the surgical pack;

wrapping the surgical pack in an outer wrap;

affixing one or more adhesive bindings to the outer wrap, wherein an identification device is disposed between the one or more adhesive bindings and the outer wrap such that as long as the outer wrap is unopened, the identification device is capable of delivering a first identification signal to a remote reader.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification device is configured such that when the outer wrap is opened, the identification device is physically deformed so as to deliver a second identification signal to the remote reader.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identification device is physically deformed by an act of tearing along a perforation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identification device comprises a RFID device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more adhesive bindings comprise a plurality of adhesive bindings.

6. A method of tracking a surgical pack, the method comprising:

detecting, by reading an identification device with a remote reader, whether the surgical pack has been opened; and

where the surgical pack has been opened, recording an opening event in a computer system operable with the remote reader.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising ordering a replacement pack in response to the recording.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising billing an end user in response to the recording.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising notifying a manufacturer in response to the recording.

10. A method of inventory management for a plurality of surgical packs, with at least one of the plurality of surgical packs comprising contents different from at least another of the plurality of surgical packs, the method comprising:

identifying each of the plurality of surgical packs and the contents disposed therein;

detecting opening of at least one of the plurality of surgical packs; and

ordering a replacement pack having equivalent contents of the at least one of the plurality of surgical packs.

11. A method of detecting that a wrap layer disposed about a surgical pack has been unwrapped, the method comprising:

reading, with a remote reader operable with one or more processors, a first identification signal from an identification device coupled to the surgical pack;

reading, with the remote reader, a second identification signal from the identification device, wherein the first identification signal and the second identification signal are different and non-concurrent; and

recording an opening event with the one or more processors upon reading the second identification signal.