Systems and methods for tagging and tracking surgical devices and surgical accessories using radio frequency identification tags

• US 8,937,544 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Depuy Synthes Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: DePuy Synthes Products LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Rigsby, Christopher, Andrie, Matthew J., LaWare, Adam, Beardsley, Timothy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US13/668,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20140125482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12, 340/539.1, 340/572.1, 340/286.07, 340/10.4, 235/385, 235/375, 705/22, 705/28, 705/29, 128/898, 600/300, 206/363
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/70 Spinal positioners or stabilisers ; Bone stabilisers comprising fluid filler in an implant
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7001 Screws or hooks combined with longitudinal elements which do not contact vertebrae A61B17/7058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/005 with a lid or cover
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/3008 having multiple compartments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/3011 having carrying handles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/20 Holders specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments drapes with means to hold surgical instruments A61B46/23; for catheters A61M25/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/22 Racks
• 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 50/33 Trays
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/34 Baskets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/40 Apparatus fixed or close to patients specially adapted for providing an aseptic surgical environment
• 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: A61L 2/00 Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor for contact lenses A61L12/00; atomisers for disinfecting agents A61M; sterilisation of packages or package contents in association with packaging B65B55/00; treatment of water, waste water, sewage or sludge C02F; disinfecting paper D21H21/36; disinfecting devices for water closets E03D; articles having provision for disinfection, see the relevant subclasses for these articles, e.g. H04R1/12
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/26 Accessories or devices or components used for biocidal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/21 Pharmaceuticals, e.g. medicaments, artificial body parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/24 Medical instruments, e.g. endoscopes, catheters, sharps
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/24 by interference with electromagnetic field distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 : for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation

Abstract

Various systems and methods are provided for tagging and tracking surgical devices using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. In general, the systems and methods allow for tracking surgical devices throughout distribution and sterilization thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a tray configured to seat a plurality of surgical devices and having a parent RFID tag attached thereto that contains information and/or facilitates access to information about the tray and each of the surgical devices seated therein. Each of the surgical devices seated in the instrument tray can have attached thereto a child RFID tag containing information and/or facilitating access to information about the surgical device.

Claims

1. A medical method, comprising:

sterilizing a surgical device carrying apparatus seating a plurality of surgical devices, the surgical device carrying apparatus having a parent radio frequency identification (RFID) tag attached thereto that uniquely identifies the surgical device carrying apparatus and that allows unique identification of each of the plurality of surgical devices, each of the plurality of surgical devices being seated in one of a plurality of recesses in the surgical device carrying apparatus, each of the plurality of recesses being covered by one of a plurality of lids removably attached to the surgical device carrying apparatus and configured to prevent removal of the one of the plurality of surgical devices from the surgical device carrying apparatus until removed from the surgical device carrying apparatus, and each of the plurality of lids having a child RFID tag attached thereto that uniquely identifies the one of the plurality of surgical devices that is seated in the one of the plurality of recesses covered by the lid to which the child RFID tag is attached;

after the sterilizing, detaching at least one of the plurality of lids from the surgical device carrying apparatus to allow at least one of the plurality of surgical devices to be removed from the surgical device carrying apparatus discarding the at least one lid;

after detaching and discarding the at least one lid, removing the at least one surgical device and using the at least one surgical device in a medical procedure;

after removing and using the at least one surgical device, receiving the surgical device carrying apparatus;

after the receiving, scanning the parent RFID tag and the child RFID tags of any of the surgical devices remaining in the surgical device carrying apparatus using an RFID tag reading device;

determining if any one or more of the plurality of surgical devices have been removed from the surgical device carrying apparatus based at least in part on the scanning of the parent RFID tag and the child RFID tags of any of the surgical devices remaining in the surgical device carrying apparatus;

after the determining, billing a customer for the at least one surgical device that has been determined to have been removed from the surgical device carrying apparatus;

replacing in the surgical device carrying apparatus the at least one surgical device and the at least one lid with one or more replacement surgical devices and with one or more lids for covering a recess in which each of the one or more replacement surgical devices is seated, each of the one or more lids having a child RFID tag attached thereto that uniquely identifies the one of the replacement surgical devices that is seated in the recess covered by the lid to which the child RFID tag is attached; and

after the determining and the replacing, resterilizing the surgical device carrying apparatus having the parent RFID tag attached thereto, having the non-removed plurality of surgical devices seated therein with their associated child RFID tags, and having the one or more replacement surgical devices seated therein with their associated child RFID tags.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the sterilizing, receiving, scanning, determining, billing, replacing, and resterilizing a plurality of additional times.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of transporting the surgical device carrying apparatus from a first geographic location to a second geographic location that is different from the first geographic location, and placing the surgical device carrying apparatus in a setting of a surgical procedure during which one or more of the plurality of surgical devices is configured to be used.

4. A medical method, comprising:

scanning a parent radio frequency identification (RFID) tag attached to a surgical device carrying apparatus seating a plurality of surgical devices, the parent RFID tag uniquely identifying the surgical device carrying apparatus and allowing unique identification of each of the plurality of surgical devices seated in the surgical device carrying apparatus, each of the surgical devices being seated in one of a plurality of recesses in the surgical device carrying apparatus, each of the plurality of recesses being covered by one of a plurality of lids removably attached to the surgical device carrying apparatus and configured to prevent removal of the one of the plurality of surgical devices from the surgical device carrying apparatus until removed from the surgical device carrying apparatus;

scanning a plurality of child RFID tags, each of the child RFID tags uniquely identifying one of the plurality of surgical devices and each of the plurality of child RFID tags being attached to one of the plurality of lids;

after scanning the parent RFID tag and the plurality of child RFID tags, sterilizing the surgical device carrying apparatus having the parent RFID tag attached thereto and having the plurality of surgical devices seated therein with the child RFID tags attached thereto;

after sterilizing the surgical device carrying apparatus, detaching at least one of the plurality of lids from the surgical device carrying apparatus to allow at least one of the plurality of surgical devices to be removed from the surgical device carrying apparatus and discarding the at least one lid;

after detaching and discarding the at least one lid, removing the at least one surgical device and using the at least one surgical device in a medical procedure;

after removing and using the at least one surgical device, rescanning the parent RFID tag attached to the surgical device carrying apparatus;

based at least in part on the rescanning of the parent RFID tag, determining which of the plurality of surgical devices remain seated in the surgical device carrying apparatus;

after determining which of the plurality of surgical devices remain seated in the surgical device carrying apparatus, restocking the surgical device carrying apparatus to replace the at least one surgical device no longer seated in the surgical device carrying apparatus and the at least one lid no longer attached to the surgical device carrying apparatus, each of the restocked lids having attached thereto a child RFID tag uniquely identifying the restocked surgical device seated in one of the plurality of recesses below the restocked lid; and

causing the parent RFID tag to allow unique identification of each of the one or more restocked surgical devices.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising resterilizing the surgical device carrying apparatus having the parent RFID tag attached thereto, having the remaining plurality of surgical devices seated therein and having the restocked surgical devices seated therein;

and

after resterilizing, rescanning the parent RFID tag attached to the surgical device carrying apparatus and, based at least in part on the rescanning of the parent RFID tag, determining which of the remaining plurality of surgical devices and the restocked surgical devices remain seated in the surgical device carrying apparatus.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising repeating the scanning, sterilizing, rescanning, and determining a plurality of additional times.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising, after scanning the parent RFID tag and the plurality of child RFID tags, transporting the surgical device carrying apparatus having the plurality of surgical devices seated therein from a first location to a second location, the surgical device carrying apparatus having the parent RFID tag attached thereto and having the plurality of surgical devices seated therein with the child RFID tags attached to the plurality of lids being sterilized at the second location;

and

transporting the surgical device carrying apparatus and each of the plurality of surgical devices remaining in the surgical device carrying apparatus from the second location to the first location, the parent RFID tag attached to the surgical device carrying apparatus and each of the child RFID tags remaining in the surgical device carrying apparatus being rescanned at the second location.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising repeating the scanning, sterilizing, rescanning, and determining a plurality of additional times, the surgical device carrying apparatus being transported from the first location after each of the repeated scannings.