System for identifying medical devices

• US 20030047126A1
• Filed: 09/12/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Tomaschko, Daniel K.
• Application Number:
  US10/242,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20030047126A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 116/201
• 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 90/92 coded with colour

Abstract

A method and system for identifying medical devices comprising the steps of providing at least one medical device with at least one characteristic and providing the at least one medical device with at least one visible color, wherein the at least one characteristic corresponds to the at least one visible color. A key may be provided which lists the potential visible colors and the corresponding characteristics.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an individual medical device from a group of medical devices comprising the following steps:

providing a group of medical devices;

providing each medical device of the group of medical devices with at least one characteristic;

providing each medical device of the group of medical devices with at least one visible color, wherein the at least one characteristic corresponds to the at least one visible color, such that the at least one characteristic of each medical device of the group of medical devices is identifiable according to the at least one visible color.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing a key, the key comprising a list of potential characteristics from which the at least one characteristic is selected from and a list of potential visible colors from which the at least one visible color is selected from, each of the potential visible colors corresponding to at least one of the potential characteristics.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of medical devices comprise catheters.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of medical devices comprise medical balloons.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of medical devices comprise implantable medical devices selected from the group consisting of stents, grafts, stent-grafts, vena cava filters, and any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one characteristic is selected from at least one member of the group consisting of balloon function, balloon length, balloon inner diameter, balloon outer diameter, balloon compliance, balloon inflation pressure, balloon expansion rate, balloon shape, balloon construction, and any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each balloon of the group of balloons is represented by a different visible color.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one color is provided in at least one predetermined pattern, the at least one predetermined pattern further corresponding to the at least one characteristic.

9. A system of identifying a particular characteristic of a medical device comprising:

a plurality of medical devices, each of the plurality of medical devices having at least one predetermined characteristic, each of the plurality of medical devices having at least one predetermined color, the at least one predetermined color corresponding to the at least one characteristic, whereby the at least one characteristic of each of the plurality of medical devices is identifiable by the at least one color corresponding thereto.

10. A medical device comprising:

a visible surface, the visible surface having at least one identifiable color, the at least one identifiable color corresponding to at least one characteristic of the medical device, wherein a particular identifiable color will identify a particular characteristic of the medical device.

11. A medical balloon selected from a group of medical balloons wherein each of the medical balloons of the group have a predetermined size, the medical balloon comprising:

a visible surface, the visible surface having a color selected from a group of colors, the medical balloon having a size selected from a group of sizes, each color of the group of colors corresponding to a size selected from the group of sizes, wherein a particular color of the group of colors indicates the size of the medical balloon.

12. A medical balloon selected from a group of medical balloons wherein each of the medical balloons of the group have a predetermined compliance, the medical balloon comprising:

a visible surface, the visible surface having at least one color selected from a group of colors, the medical balloon having at least one compliance characteristic selected from a group of compliance characteristics, each of the colors of the group of colors corresponding to a compliance characteristic selected from the group of compliance characteristics, wherein a particular color of the group of colors will indicate a particular compliance characteristic of the medical balloon.

13. A system for using color to differentiate medical devices according to their characteristics comprising:

a key, the key comprising a list of characteristics and a list of distinct colors, each of the distinct colors corresponding to at least one of the characteristics;

a plurality of medical devices, at least one of the plurality of medical devices having at least one of the characteristics and at least one of the distinct colors corresponding to the at least one of the characteristics according to the key.

14. A system for using color to differentiate medical devices according to their characteristics comprising:

a key, the key comprising a list of predetermined characteristics and a list of distinct colors, each of the distinct colors corresponding to at least one of the predetermined characteristics;

a plurality of medical devices, wherein each of the plurality of medical devices having predetermined characteristics may be readily identifiable by the presence of one or more of the distinct colors, wherein each of the distinct colors corresponds to each of the predetermined characteristics according to the key.

15. A method for identifying an individual medical balloon from a group of medical balloons comprising the following steps:

providing a group of medical balloons;

providing each medical balloon of the group of medical balloons with at least one characteristic;

providing each medical balloon of the group of medical balloons with at least one visible color, wherein the at least one characteristic corresponds to the at least one visible color, whereby the at least one characteristic of each medical balloon is identifiable according to the at least one visible color.

16. A method for identifying an individual medical balloon from a group of medical balloons comprising the following steps:

providing a group of medical balloons;

providing each medical balloon of the group of medical balloons with at least one size characteristic;

providing each medical balloon of the group of medical balloons with at least one visible color, wherein the at least one size characteristic corresponds to the at least one visible color, whereby the at least one size characteristic of each medical balloon is identifiable according to the at least one visible color.