Waste sensing system

• US 7,483,837 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Vesta Medical LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Davidner, Alan A., Mallett, Scott R., Danta, Randall C., Corey, Alan D., Regla, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brooks; Matthew L.
• Application Number:
  US10/946,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20050119909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 209583-930, 600/604, 607/2, 206366-370, 705 1- 2, 220/346, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 705/308
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/0059 parallel to the lid plane
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/006 perpendicular to the lid plane, e.g. by a downward movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/185 Drawers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0805 automatically, e.g. by means of magnetic, optical or photoelectric detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/10 Furniture specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/13 Trolleys, e.g. carts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/15 Mayo stands; Tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/18 Cupboards; Drawers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/36 for collecting or disposing of used articles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/06 Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3412 according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/005 Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 21/28 Frames, Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3735 using a digital network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 : for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 : Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/93 : Municipal solid waste sorting

Abstract

A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.

Claims

1. A method for sorting and tracking a drug before and after administration to a patient, the method comprising:

providing a medical waste sorting system;

providing a plurality of removable waste containers configured to be placed within a plurality of waste container compartments of said medical waste sorting system, wherein each of said removable waste containers comprises an opening;

providing an automatically movable lid coupled with each of said removable waste containers;

wherein each of the removable waste containers is associated with at least one of a plurality of waste categories,

wherein the movable lid is movable to an open position and a closed position;

obtaining information regarding a drug to be administered to a patient, wherein said information comprises the quantity of said drug in a drug container prior to administration of said drug to said patient;

obtaining scanned barcode information from a spent drug container, wherein the spent drug container comprises the drug container and a quantity of the drug that still remains in the drug container after said drug has been at least partially administered to a patient;

assigning the spent drug to at least one waste category based at least in part on the scanned information and waste item classification information; and

determining the quantity of the spent drug using a weight scale, wherein the spent drug is the drug that remains in the drug container after administration to the patient;

comparing the quantity of the spent drug with the quantity of the drug prior to administration to said patient, thereby tracking the drug before and after administration to the patient; and

automatically moving the lid coupled to the identified removable container to the open position to permit disposal of the spent drug.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the quantity of the drug that should have been administered to the patient by comparing the quantity of the spent drug with the quantity of the dispensed drug.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising reporting to a user the quantity of the drug that should have been administered to the patient.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising comparing the quantity of the drug that should have been administered to the patient to a quantity that was actually administered to the patient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight scale comprises a load cell.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight scale comprises a mechanical scale.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising locking the movable lid in the closed position after the disposal of the spent drug.

8. the method of claim 1, further comprising printing a manifest containing information regarding the quantity of the spent drug.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said waste item classification information comprises classification information based on environmental regulations contained in a database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining scanned barcode information from the spent drug container comprises scanning a barcode label located on the spent drug container.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the container containing said spent drug comprises a vial, a syringe, or an intravenous (IV) bag.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said moveable lids is configured to be manually closed.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said moveable lids is configured to be automatically closed upon disposal of the waste item.