System And Method For Recording Events That Occur During A Medical Procedure, Including Events Associated With The Inventorying Of Articles Used During The Procedure

Abstract

A sponge reconciliation system for maintaining an inventory of articles used during a medical or surgical procedure, where, in the event an article for which the status needs to be reconciled is left in a patient, the system generates a record that the article is in a partially reconciled state and when a subsequent procedure is performed, the scanner employed during the procedure has the records of the partially reconciled articles associated with the patient.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention is related to a sponge reconciliation system and method for ensuring proper removal of surgical sponges following a medical procedure, including generating a log of events that occur during the performance of a medical procedure. The log maintained by the system and method of this invention is especially useful for accounting for articles used in the procedure and determining the states of these articles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]It is sometimes useful to maintain a log of the events that occur during an activity. One such type of activity is the performance of a medical or surgical procedure. There are a number of reasons why such a log is useful. It is desirable to account for the whereabouts of articles that are applied to, placed in or used on the patient on which the procedure is performed. These articles include disposable articles such as sponges, towels, suture needles, clips and staples. These articles also include reusable ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This invention is a system that helps keep a record of things that happen during a medical or surgical procedure. It can do this by automatically collecting data from other instruments and devices used during the procedure, instead of requiring the information to be recorded by a nurse or surgeon. This system can make it easier for health care professionals to keep track of what is happening and can improve hospital efficiency.

Problems solved by technology

It is sometimes useful to maintain a log of the events that occur during an activity.

A further serious consequence of the failure to remove an article from a patient in a timely fashion is that the presence of the article can cause injury or induce an infection.

In either case, this adverse result slows the recovery of the patient and increases the cost of patient care.

A more serious effect of one of these unintended consequences is that the patient is subjected to permanent harm.

Still, given that the process is performed by humans, the process leaves open the possibility that human error can result in a near post-procedure inventorying of articles that is inaccurate.

This error can sometimes occur because the articles are often soaked in blood or bodily fluids.

This can make accounting for these articles difficult.

For example, owing to the articles being covered in fluid, it may difficult to distinguish between two sponges of different sizes.

However, there are some situations in which the currently known systems, including the above-described system, may provide incomplete information.

To date, it has proven difficult to provide ready access to records of articles intentionally left in a patient.

Each of these steps introduces the possibility that, due to human error, there may not be a proper accounting of the articles previously intentionally left in the patient.

Also during a procedure, a scanner may malfunction.

One of the more mundane reasons a scanner may malfunction is that the battery used to power the scanner drains.

A scanner may malfunction because, like any hand held device, a scanner can inadvertently be dropped.

However, to date known systems do not provide a means of ensuring that this backup scanner, once initialized, will be able to configure itself as a substitute for the original scanner.

At the present time it is difficult to record these data as part of the inventory process.

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