Methods for organizing the disinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agents

• US 10,255,466 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2013
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Department of Veterans Affairs (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: US Department of Veterans Affairs (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Jinadatha, Chetan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Leon Viet Q
• Application Number:
  US14/419,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/208 Hydrogen peroxide
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/14 Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/25 Rooms in buildings, passenger compartments
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10118 the sensing being preceded by at least one preliminary step
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10415 the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM banking machines in general G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• 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: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

The invention provides method for organizing the disinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agent(s) comprising (a) attaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to an item(s) to be disinfected; exposing the item(s) of (a) to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect the item; and (c) obtaining a signal from the tagged item when disinfection is complete thereby organizing the disinfection of one or more items.

Claims

1. A method for organizing the disinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agent(s), comprising:

a) exposing an item to a disinfectant for a period sufficient to disinfect the item, said item having a wireless communication tag;

b) sending a first signal to the wireless communication tag when disinfection is complete to update a display on the wireless communication tag to be indicative of a clean status for the item;

c) subsequently detecting movement of the item past a chokepoint; and

d) sending a second signal to the wireless communication tag to alter the display upon a lapse of a predetermined amount of time after detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the first signal to the wireless communication tag comprises manually activating the signal transmission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the first signal to the wireless communication tag is automated from a computer of a system that tracks disinfection of multiple items.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the item is a device, machine or tool.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the device, machine or tool is medical equipment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the medical equipment is a durable medical equipment or reusable medical equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the disinfectant is ultra-violet light.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the ultraviolet light is from a pulsed xenon lamp.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the ultraviolet light is from a mercury lamp.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the disinfectant is hydrogen peroxide.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the hydrogen peroxide is hydrogen peroxide vapor, activated hydrogen peroxide, dry mist hydrogen peroxide or vaporized hydrogen peroxide.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the biological agent is selected from a group consisting of a micro-organism, viral particles, fungal particles, an infectious agent, microbes in human secretion, human excretion, dust and fecal material.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the first signal so as to create a log of the cleaning or disinfecting history of the item.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the signal to the wireless communication tag is automated from a disinfectant sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the disinfectant sensor is an ultraviolet light dose sensor.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the disinfectant sensor is a sensor for detecting a fluidic disinfectant.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signal is a signal to alter the display to be indicative of an unclean status.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising sounding an alarm upon sending the signal.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is to change visual information exhibited on an electronic visual display of the wireless communication tag.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is to illuminate a light source on the display of the wireless communication tag.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication tag is a radio-frequency identification tag.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint comprises detecting the item entering a space associated with the chokepoint.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising sending a third signal to the wireless communication tag to alter the display upon detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint to be indicative of entry of the item into the space associated with the chokepoint.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising detecting the item exiting a holding area prior to detecting the item entering the space associated with the chokepoint.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising sending a third signal to the wireless communication tag to alter the display upon detecting the item exiting the holding area.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint comprises detecting the item exiting a space associated with the chokepoint.

27. The method of claim 26, sending a third signal to the wireless communication tag to alter the display upon detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint to be indicative of the item exiting the space associated with the chokepoint.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time is approximately 24 hours or longer.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the chokepoint is associated with an area for storing medical equipment.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the chokepoint is associated with a patient room.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving a third signal indicating a patient has been discharged from the patient room after detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint; and

sending a fourth signal to the wireless communication tag to alter the display on the wireless communication tag upon receiving the third signal.

32. A method for disinfection of an item contaminated with biological agent(s) in a designated space, comprising:

a) exposing a designated space to a disinfectant discharged from a portable disinfection apparatus for a period sufficient to disinfect an item in the designated space, wherein some non-portable surfaces of the designated space have a wireless communication tag;

b) obtaining a signal from at least some of the wireless communication tags regarding their proximity to the portable disinfection apparatus before or during the period the item is exposed to the disinfectant and/or when the period the item is exposed to the disinfectant is complete;

c) determining an approximate location of the portable disinfection apparatus in the designated space from the obtained signals; and

d) associatively recording the approximate location of the portable disinfection apparatus and a duration of the period the item is exposed to the disinfectant.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the wireless communication tags communicate with the portable disinfection apparatus.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the wireless communication tags communicate the initiation or completion of the cleaning or disinfection cycle to a computer of a system that tracks multiple designated spaces.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising processing the signals so as to create a log of the cleaning or disinfecting history of the designated space.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the wireless communication tags are a radio-frequency identification tags.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the wireless communication tags are passive.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein the wireless communication tags are semi-passive.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein the wireless communication tags are active.

40. The method of claim 32, further comprising detecting entry of the portable disinfection apparatus into the designated space prior to exposing the designated space to the disinfectant.

41. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of exposing the designated space to a disinfectant comprises successively exposing different portions of the designated space to a disinfectant for periods respectively sufficient to disinfect items in the different portions, wherein the step of determining the approximate location of the portable disinfection apparatus in the designated space comprises determining an approximate location of the portable disinfection apparatus in each of the different portions of the designated space from the obtained signals, and wherein the step of associatively recording comprises associatively recording the approximate location of the portable disinfection apparatus in each of the different portions of the designated space and a duration of the each of the disinfection periods.

42. The method of claim 32, wherein the designated space is a patient room, an operating room or a storage room.

43. The method of claim 32, wherein the disinfection period is a period sufficient to disinfect items that are at least 1 foot away from the portable disinfection apparatus.

44. A method, comprising:

a) exposing a designated space to ultraviolet light, said designated space having one or more wireless communication tags;

b) receiving a signal that a predetermined amount of ultraviolet light has been detected; and

c) subsequent to receiving the signal, sending a different signal of a predetermined strength to update displays only on a set of the one or more wireless communication tags that are within a set distance from the source of the ultraviolet light, wherein the predetermined strength is less than a signal strength constituting a maximum communication range of a transmitter sending the different signal, and wherein the different signal is to update the displays on the set of the one or more wireless communication tags to be indicative of a clean status for surfaces in the designated space comprising the respective set of one or more wireless communication tags.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the different signal is to change visual information exhibited on an electronic visual display of the wireless communication tag.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the different signal is to illuminate a light source on the display of the wireless communication tag.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the set distance is equal to or less than an upper limit of a set disinfection range of a source of the ultraviolet light.

49. The method of claim 44, wherein the set distance is less than a dimension of the designated space.

50. The method of claim 44, wherein the designated space is an area suitable for human occupancy.

45. The method of clam 44, further comprising exposing the designated space to a fluidic disinfectant prior to exposing the item to ultraviolet light.

51. A method for organizing the disinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agent(s), comprising:

a) exposing an item to a disinfectant for a period sufficient to disinfect the item, said item having a wireless communication tag;

b) sending a first signal to the wireless communication tag when disinfection is complete to update a display on the wireless communication tag to be indicative of a clean status for the item;

c) subsequently detecting movement of the item past a chokepoint or outside a vicinity of the chokepoint, wherein the chokepoint is associated with a space in which the item is exposed to the disinfectant; and

d) sending a second signal to the wireless communication tag to alter the display to be indicative of an unclean status for the item upon detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the step of detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint comprises detecting the item exiting a space associated with the chokepoint.

53. The method of claim 52, further comprising detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint that is indicative of the item entering the space associated with the chokepoint subsequent to the step of sending the first signal to the wireless communication tag and prior to the step of detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint that is indicative of the item exiting the space associated with the chokepoint.

54. The method of claim 53, further comprising detecting the item exiting a holding area subsequent to the step of sending the first signal to the wireless communication tag and prior to detecting the item entering the space associated with the chokepoint.

55. The method of claim 51, wherein the space associated with the chokepoint is a patient room.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

receiving a third signal indicating a patient has been discharged from the patient room prior to detecting movement of the item past the chokepoint; and

sending a fourth signal to the wireless communication tag to alter the display on the wireless communication tag upon receiving the third signal.