Container for surgical object and fluid monitoring system

• US 8,704,178 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Surgitrac Corporation
• Original Assignee: Surgitrac Corporation
• Inventors: Pollock, Richard A., Kassam, Mahmood S., Cox, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kiho
• Application Number:
  US13/839,450
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 2503361-3362
• US Class Current: 250/336.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00221 with wireless transmission of data, e.g. by infrared radiation or radiowaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/0056 about a lateral axis in the lid plane
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/3006 Nested casings
• 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 50/36 for collecting or disposing of used articles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/37 for absorbent articles, e.g. bandages, garments, swabs or towels
• 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

Abstract

A container, system, method, and computer readable storage medium, for monitoring at least one of surgical object and fluid placed into the container are provided. The container includes a rigid top member including at least one port opening therein, having a recessed portion of the underside of the top member along an outer perimeter, a rigid retaining ring sized and shaped to match the size and shape of the recessed portion along the outer perimeter, and a flexible bag body having an open top portion and a sealed bottom portion, an outer perimeter of the open top portion being folded over the rigid retaining ring, the rigid retaining ring with the folded over perimeter of the open top portion of the flexible bag body being mated and locked in the recessed portion of the underside of the rigid top member along the outer perimeter in a fluid-tight seal arrangement.

Claims

1. A container having a design and construction for use in a surgical operating room to receive and securely contain fluid-carrying surgical objects in the container, the container comprising:

a rigid top member including at least one port opening therein, and having a recessed portion of the underside of the top member along an outer perimeter;

a rigid retaining ring sized and shaped to match the size and shape of the recessed portion of the underside of the top member along an outer perimeter of the rigid top member;

a flexible bag body having an open top portion and a sealed bottom portion, an outer perimeter of the open top portion being folded over the rigid retaining ring, the rigid retaining ring with the folded over perimeter of the open top portion of the flexible bag body being mated and locked in the recessed portion of the underside of the top member along the outer perimeter of the rigid top member in a fluid-tight seal arrangement; and

a lid, being rotatably secured along an edge of the lid to an edge of the top surface of the rigid top member in a fluid-tight seal arrangement, that when rotated to a substantially vertical orientation relative to a top surface of the rigid top member providing a splash guard from the fluid-tight seal arrangement of the edge of the lid secured to the edge of the top surface of the rigid top member for any fluids that may be splashed by objects being placed into the container through the at least one port opening.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the flexible bag body having a tapering shape from the open top portion to the sealed bottom portion, wherein a base of the sealed bottom portion being made with more bag material than the other walls of the tapering shape flexible bag body to provide weight at the base of the flexible bag body when empty and supported by the rigid top member that encourages with gravity a downward expansion of the flexible bag body from a collapsed and compressed shape to a fully expanded shape.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein at least the open top portion of the flexible bag body comprises material that permits IR beam energy from an IR emitter outside the flexible bag body to transmit through the material of the flexible bag body and be detected by a matching IR beam sensor outside of the flexible bag body.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein the open top portion of the flexible bag body just below the at least one port opening of the rigid top member comprises material that permits IR beam energy from an IR emitter outside the flexible bag body to transmit through the material of the flexible bag body and be detected by a matching IR beam sensor outside of the flexible bag body.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein the open top portion of the flexible bag body just below the at least one port opening of the rigid top member comprises optically transmissive material at infrared frequencies compatible with IR beam energy transmitted from an IR beam emitter and detected by a matching IR beam sensor.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the open top portion of the flexible bag body just below the at least one port opening of the rigid top member comprises optically transmissive film material at infrared frequencies.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein the rigid top member includes handles designed and constructed for a person to hold while carrying the container.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein the rigid top member having a small vertical dimension that cooperates with a compressed and collapsed flexible bag body adjacent to the underside of the rigid top member to provide a small compressed volume shape for the container, and wherein the at least one port opening of the rigid top member comprises a plurality of port openings, and wherein each of the plurality of port openings comprises a funnel shape with a gradual inward sloping surface from a top surface of the rigid top member and within the small vertical dimension of the rigid top member.

9. The container of claim 8, wherein the gradual inward sloping surface of the funnel shape guides objects deposited from the top of the at least one port opening towards a center region of the at least one opening while being deposited into the container.

10. The container of claim 8, wherein the gradual inward sloping surface of the funnel shape being designed within the small vertical dimension to reliably guide objects deposited from the top of each of the plurality of port openings towards a detection region just below and associated with the each port opening of the rigid top member.

11. The container of claim 10, wherein the container design and construction locates the detection region for each port opening of the container to substantially coincide with a detection region of a plurality of IR beams from matched IR emitters and IR sensors in a monitor system that detects surgical objects placed into the container through the each port opening.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein the lid is directly and seamlessly in continuity with an edge of the flexible bag body, and the lid being rotated over the rigid top member during opening or closure of the container.

13. A method with a monitor system and a container for detecting surgical objects being placed into the container, the container comprising a rigid top member including a plurality of port openings therein, and having a recessed portion of the rigid top member along an outer perimeter, a rigid retaining ring sized and shaped to match the size and shape of the recessed portion of the rigid top member along an outer perimeter of the rigid top member, a container body having a flexible bag body having an open top portion and a sealed bottom portion, an outer perimeter of the open top portion being folded over one of the rigid retaining ring and the rigid top member, the rigid retaining ring with the folded over perimeter of the open top portion of the flexible bag body being mated and locked in the recessed portion of the top member along the outer perimeter of the rigid top member in a fluid-tight seal arrangement, and a lid, being rotatably secured along an edge of the lid to an edge of the top surface of the rigid top member in a fluid-tight seal arrangement, and the container body with at least one compartment located below each of the plurality of port openings, the method comprising:

supporting the container by the rigid top member; and

rotating the lid and holding it in a substantially vertical orientation relative to the top surface of the rigid top member providing a splash guard from the fluid-tight seal arrangement of the edge of the lid secured to the edge of the top surface of the rigid top member for any fluids that may be splashed by objects being placed into the container through one of the plurality of port openings.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the container design and construction locates a separate detection region horizontally in the container just below each port opening of the plurality of port openings to substantially coincide with a detection region of a plurality of beams from matched remitters and sensors in a monitor system that detects surgical objects placed into the container through the each port opening of the plurality of port openings, the method further comprising:

transmitting at least one beam of energy through the container body traversing the detection region located horizontally just below and across one port opening of the plurality of port openings of the rigid top member;

monitoring at least one sensor to detect at least a beam break followed by a beam make of the at least one beam of energy traversing the detection region in the container; and

monitoring, based on detection of the beam break followed by the beam make, an incremental weight force of the container due to a surgical object placed into the container through one of the plurality of port openings by;

measuring a base weight force of the container at the time of the beam break followed by the beam make,

inhibiting weight force measurement for a predefined time delay which is approximately a calculated time delay of an object falling a distance from a port opening of the container to the sealed bottom of the flexible bag body plus a noise signal settling time, and

measuring, after the inhibiting, an incremental weight force change of the container by subtracting the base weight force of the container, measured at the time of the beam break followed by the beam make, from a weight force of the container, measured after the predefined time delay while inhibiting weight force measurement.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

counting valid surgical objects detected placed into each port opening of the container based on detecting a beam break followed by a beam make of the at least one beam of energy traversing the detection region of the each port opening and further followed by detecting a measured incremental weight force change of the container that matches a valid surgical object incremental weight force range associated with the each port opening.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprising:

counting and sorting valid surgical objects detected placed into the container through each of the plurality of port openings.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a monitor system for monitoring at least one of surgical object and fluid placed into a container, the container comprising a to member including a plurality of port openings therein, and a container body having an open top portion and a sealed bottom portion, a separate detection region being located horizontally in the container just below each of the plurality of port openings to substantially coincide with a detection region of a plurality of beams from matched emitters and sensors in a monitor system that detects surgical objects placed into the container through the each port opening, the computer instructions causing the processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting at least one beam of energy through the container body traversing a detection region located horizontally just below and across one port opening of the plurality of port openings;

monitoring at least one sensor to detect at least a beam break followed by a beam make of the at least one beam of energy traversing the detection region of the one port opening; and

detecting, with a processor, placement of a surgical object into the container through the one of the plurality of port openings with the aid of gravity, based at least on;

detecting at least a beam break followed by a beam make of the at least one beam of energy traversing the detection region;

monitoring, based on detection of the beam break followed by the beam make, an incremental weight force of the container due to a surgical object placed into the container through the one port opening of the plurality of port openings by;

measuring a base weight force of the container at the time of the beam break followed by the beam make,

inhibiting weight force measurement for a predefined time delay which is approximately a calculated time delay of an object falling a distance from a port opening of the container to the sealed bottom portion of the container body plus a noise signal settling time, and

measuring, after the inhibiting, an incremental weight force change of the container by subtracting the base weight force of the container, measured at the time of the beam break followed by the beam make, from a weight force of the container, measured after the predefined time delay; and

determining whether the incremental weight force change of the container matches a predefined incremental weight force range for a valid surgical object corresponding to the one port opening.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by the processor of the monitor system, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining, based on determining that a valid surgical object corresponding to the one port opening was located in the one port opening, an incremental fluid content of the container by subtracting a predefined dry weight for the valid surgical object from the incremental weight force change of the container.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by the processor of the monitor system, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

counting, based on determining that a valid surgical object corresponding to the one port opening was located in the one port opening, an increment in a total of surgical objects detected placed into the container through the one port opening.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by the processor of the monitor system, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

counting and sorting valid surgical objects detected placed into the container through each of the plurality of port openings.