System and method for monitoring at least one medical product

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system for monitoring at least one medical product, comprising at least two monitoring devices, each of which has an identification device, which is configured to be able to identify whether a transponder of the medical product is in an identification area extending around the corresponding monitoring device, wherein at least two monitoring devices are arranged or can be arranged so that the identification areas of at least two monitoring devices overlap, and a data processing device, which is configured to be able to store the time point when the transponder is identified by the monitoring device. The data processing device is configured to be able to calculate the duration of time that the transponder is only in one of the identification areas of the at least two monitoring devices, and / or to be able to record the order in which the at least two monitoring devices identify the transponder in the identification area. The present disclosure also relates to a method for monitoring at least one medical product in a surgical environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a system for monitoring at least one medical product, in particular to a system for monitoring at least one medical product, in particular a reusable medical product, in particular a surgical instrument and / or a surgical branch instrument, having at least two monitoring devices connected or connectable to each other in a data-conducting manner, in particular wirelessly, in a monitoring network, the monitoring devices each having an identification device, the identification device being configured to identify whether a transponder of the medical product is in an identification area extending around the respective monitoring device, wherein the at least two monitoring devices are arranged or can be arranged such that the identification areas of the at least two monitoring devices overlap, and a data processing device connected or connectable to the at least two monitoring devices via the monitoring network in a data-conducting manner, in particular wirelessly, the data processing device being configured to be able to store the time point at which the transponder was identified by the monitoring device. The invention also relates to a method for monitoring at least one medical product in a surgical environment. Background Art

[0002] For example, such a system for monitoring medical products is disclosed in US10709521 B2. In the system according to US10709521B2, the medical products are respectively equipped with two transponders. The identification transponder is constructed to return an identification signal in response to an incoming signal. The simple transponder is constructed to return a simple signal without identification information in response to an incoming signal. After use in treatment, the medical product according to US10709521B2 is placed in a shielded container. During treatment, a signal is sent at certain stages to cause a reaction of the identification transponder, and a signal is sent at certain stages to cause a reaction of the simple transponder. If the reaction of the transponder is recorded at these stages, this means that the medical product has not yet been placed in a shielded container and is still inside the treated person, for example, during surgery.

[0003] A problem with the system according to US Pat. No. 10,709,521 B2 is that individual medical products can only be monitored inadequately. Summary of the invention

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a system for monitoring at least one medical product which allows for improved monitoring of the medical product, in particular with regard to different areas of use and / or storage areas.

[0005] This object is achieved by the features of the invention.

[0006] According to the system for monitoring at least one medical product disclosed in the present invention, there are at least two monitoring devices. The at least two monitoring devices are connected or connectable to each other in a data-conducting manner, wirelessly or non-wiredly, especially by radio or wired in a monitoring network. In particular, the at least two monitoring devices can also be connected or connectable to each other in a conductive manner. At least two monitoring devices respectively have an identification device, which is configured to be able to identify whether the transponder of the medical product is in an identification area extending around the corresponding monitoring device. At least two monitoring devices are arranged or can be arranged so that the identification areas of at least two monitoring devices overlap, that is, in the surroundings of at least two monitoring devices, there may be the following points or areas, which are not only in the identification area of ​​one of the at least two monitoring devices, but also in the identification area of ​​another of the at least two monitoring devices. According to the system disclosed in the present invention, there is a data processing device, which is connected or connectable to at least two monitoring devices via a monitoring network in a data-conducting manner, wirelessly or non-wiredly, especially by radio or wired. In particular, the data processing device can also be connected or connectable to at least two monitoring devices in a conductive manner. The data processing device is configured to store the time point at which the transponder is identified by the monitoring device. In other words, the data processing device is configured to store a time stamp for this process each time one of the at least two monitoring devices sends a signal for identifying the transponder and receives a corresponding response signal from the transponder. In particular, the data processing device stores the identification of the monitoring device, the identification of the transponder and the time point of receiving the response signal in the time stamp.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the data processing device is configured to calculate or be able to calculate the duration of the transponder being only in one of the identification areas of at least two monitoring devices based on the stored time points. That is, the data processing device is particularly configured to compare or be able to compare the time points or timestamps of each identification or identification process of the transponder or the determined transponder through the at least two monitoring devices, and separate or be able to separate the following time points or timestamps, in which the transponder or the determined transponder is only identified by one of the at least two monitoring devices. The data processing device is also particularly configured to sort out or be able to sort out time points or timestamps that are consecutive in time from these separated time points or timestamps, which represent the duration of the transponder or the determined transponder being only in the identification area of ​​one of the at least two monitoring devices. The data processing device is particularly configured to calculate or be able to calculate the duration of consecutive time points or timestamps by subtracting the oldest time point or timestamp from the latest time point or timestamp.

[0008] Additionally or alternatively, the data processing device is configured to record the order in which the at least two monitoring devices recognize the transponder in the identification area. The data processing device can be configured in particular to recognize, by comparing the data of the at least two monitoring devices, whether the transponder is only in a unique identification area in the identification area within the scope of the first type of event or is simultaneously in multiple identification areas in the identification area within the scope of the second type of event, and to store at least one event of the first type and at least one event of the second type in a list. In particular, the events can be stored together with the associated time data so that the events are sorted in chronological order.

[0009] By calculating the duration and / or recording the sequence, the monitoring of the medical product can advantageously be carried out more consistently. By calculating the duration during which the transponder is only in the identification area, the area in which the transponder or the medical product is located, in which monitoring is particularly important, can be limited more precisely or more narrowly by correspondingly arranging the monitoring device.

[0010] The boundaries of the respective recognition area can be predetermined by the range of the recognition technology used, by physical boundaries (eg the walls of the container) or by geometric definitions (eg the distance to the recognition device).

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the medical product may be a reusable and / or surgical instrument. The medical product may in particular be a surgical instrument that does not conduct electrical current or a surgical instrument that does not have its own drive unit.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, at least two monitoring devices may be configured such that the corresponding identification areas are of different sizes.

[0013] By providing monitoring devices with identification areas of different sizes, it is possible to adapt the monitoring to differently limited resting areas of the medical product in an advantageous manner. If, for example, the medical product is in the area of ​​a container, the system according to this aspect can be used to effectively detect whether the medical product is inside or outside the container by attaching a monitoring device with a relatively small identification area to the container.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, at least one of the at least two identification devices can be configured to be able to identify or recognize whether the transponder of the medical product is in a near identification area extending around the corresponding monitoring device and smaller than the corresponding identification area, and / or to be able to identify or recognize whether the transponder of the medical product is in a far identification area extending around the corresponding monitoring device and larger than the corresponding identification area. In other words, at least one of the at least two identification devices can be configured to be able to be equipped with different distance ranges in the surroundings of the corresponding identification device. In particular, one of the at least two identification devices can be configured to be able to change the strength of the signal that the identification device sends or can send in order to identify the transponder, in particular to be able to change periodically or in particular to change periodically.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the data processing device can be configured to calculate or be able to calculate the duration of time that the transponder is in at least one near identification area and / or at least one far identification area based on a stored time point or timestamp of identification in the near identification area and based on a stored time point or timestamp of identification in the far identification area.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the data processing device can be configured to calculate or be able to calculate the duration that the transponder is not in at least one near identification area and / or not in at least one far identification area based on a stored time point or timestamp of identification in the near identification area and based on a stored time point or timestamp of identification in the far identification area.

[0017] By providing an additional close detection range and / or an additional far detection range and by calculating the corresponding time durations, the spatial resolution of the monitoring can be increased in an advantageous manner.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, at least one of the identification devices can be configured to be able to send or transmit electromagnetic waves of a first frequency band, especially radio waves, especially electromagnetic waves with a frequency between 860MHz and 950MHz or between 2.45GHz and 6GHz, especially between 2.45GHz and 5.8GHz, for identifying a transponder, and can receive or receive the electromagnetic waves from the transponder, and at least one of the identification devices can be configured to be able to send or transmit electromagnetic waves of a second frequency band, especially radio waves, especially electromagnetic waves with a frequency of 13.56MHz, for identifying a transponder, and can receive or receive the electromagnetic waves from the transponder. In particular, one of the identification devices can be configured to operate in the first frequency band and another identification device can be configured to operate in the second frequency band. According to the present disclosure, the identification device can also be configured to operate not only in the first frequency band but also in the second frequency band. In particular, a plurality of identification devices can be provided, each of which is configured to operate in a corresponding frequency band.

[0019] By coordinating the identification device to the first and / or second frequency band, the system according to the present disclosure may advantageously be adapted to different environmental conditions and thereby to different attenuations.

[0020] According to one aspect of the disclosure, at least one of the identification devices, in particular at least one identification device configured to identify a transponder in the remote identification area, can be configured to send or transmit electromagnetic waves, in particular radio waves, in order to identify a transponder in the corresponding identification area in accordance with a first transmission standard, in particular a near field communication standard, and to receive or receive the electromagnetic waves from the transponder, and at least one of the identification devices, in particular at least one identification device configured to identify a transponder in the remote identification area, can be configured to send or transmit electromagnetic waves, in particular radio waves, in accordance with a second transmission standard, in particular an RFID transmission standard, and to receive or receive the electromagnetic waves from the transponder in order to identify the transponder in the corresponding remote identification area. In particular, one of the identification devices can be configured to operate with a first transmission standard and the other identification device can be configured to operate with a second transmission standard and thus, in particular, to realize identification areas of different sizes. According to the disclosure, the identification device, in particular at least one identification device configured to identify a transponder in the remote identification area, can also be configured to operate not only with the first transmission standard but also with the second transmission standard. In particular, the identification device can be designed to identify or recognize the or a transponder in the identification area according to a first transmission standard and to identify or recognize the or a transponder in the close identification area and / or the far identification area according to a second transmission standard.

[0021] If the identification device operates according to a known transmission standard, it is advantageously possible to integrate conventional reading devices into the system according to the disclosure. For example, a smartphone can be converted into an identification device according to the disclosure or a monitoring device according to the disclosure by corresponding programming for identifying a transponder by means of the near field communication standard.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the monitoring network may be constructed according to a third transmission standard, in particular according to the WLAN standard of IEEE 802.11 or according to the WPAN standard of IEEE 802.15 (such as ), or according to Low Energy (BLE).

[0023] If the monitoring network is operated according to a standard which differs from the standard used for identifying the transponders, mutual interference can advantageously be prevented or at least reduced.

[0024] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the monitoring network may be partially or fully meshed. In particular, each of the plurality of monitoring devices may be equipped with a data processing unit, which may receive and store the duration calculated by the data processing device, respectively.

[0025] By means of the mesh structure of the monitoring network, data communication can be further realized by rerouting the data communication in the event of a failure of a monitoring device or a connection failure.

[0026] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the system may have a memory storing a rated duration and / or a rated sequence, and the data processing device may be configured to compare or compare the calculated duration with the corresponding rated duration and / or the recorded sequence with the rated sequence, and to output or output a corresponding alarm signal when the rated duration is exceeded and / or when the rated sequence deviates.

[0027] By comparing the calculated duration with the setpoint duration, the probability of using the medical product beyond a predetermined service life can be reduced in an advantageous manner.

[0028] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, at least one monitoring device may be arranged in a sterile object container, or a system according to the present disclosure may have at least one sterile object container equipped with a monitoring device.

[0029] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, at least one monitoring device can be arranged in a storage area of ​​the operating environment, at least one monitoring device in the operating environment can be arranged in a sterile area on a provision table in the environment of the operating table, and at least one monitoring device in the operating environment can be arranged in a sterile area on the operating table. The storage area is particularly further away from the operating table than the provision table. The sterile area is particularly an area extending around the operating table, the boundary of which is at least one meter away from the operating table.

[0030] By arranging the monitoring device in the sterile material container and / or in an area which is traversed during use of the medical product, improved, in particular uninterrupted, monitoring can be achieved.

[0031] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the system according to the present disclosure may have a positioning system, which is configured to detect and / or record the relative position of at least two monitoring devices. The positioning system may in particular have a sensor, which can detect the position of at least two monitoring devices. Alternatively or additionally, the monitoring device may have an interface with a global navigation satellite system, such as NAVSTAR GPS or Galileo, through which the corresponding monitoring device can obtain its own position, and the monitoring device may be configured to transmit its position to the positioning system, which may be configured to be able to calculate and record the relative position of the monitoring device from the position of the monitoring device. Alternatively or additionally, the positioning system may also be configured so that the relative position of the at least two monitoring devices can be input through an input device, such as a touch-sensitive screen, keyboard or mouse and can be recorded by the positioning system.

[0032] If the relative positions of the monitoring devices are taken into account, even if the detection areas of the monitoring devices do not overlap, it is possible to estimate where the medical product is located with a certain probability and whether non-detection of the medical product is serious.

[0033] The present disclosure also relates to a method for monitoring at least one medical product in a surgical environment (e.g., an operating room). In the surgical environment, at least two monitoring devices that are connected or connectable to each other in a monitoring network in a data-conducting manner are arranged or can be arranged so that the identification areas of the at least two monitoring devices extending around the respective monitoring devices overlap. The medical product is in particular a reusable and / or surgical instrument. The method comprises the following steps:

[0034] - identifying whether a transponder of the medical product is located in one of the identification areas,

[0035] - storing the point in time at which the transponder was identified, and

[0036] - calculating the duration for which the transponder was in only one of the detection areas of the at least two monitoring devices and / or recording the sequence in which the at least two monitoring devices detected the transponder in the detection areas.

[0037] The recognition step is implemented in particular by a recognition device of the monitoring device belonging to the corresponding recognition area. The boundaries of the corresponding recognition area can be predetermined by the range of action of the recognition technology used, by physical boundaries (such as the wall of the container) or by geometric definitions (such as the distance from the recognition device).

[0038] The storing step and / or the calculating step are carried out in particular by a data processing device which is connected or connectable to the at least two monitoring devices via the monitoring network in a data-conducting manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings with the aid of preferred embodiments. It is shown that:

[0040] Figure 1 A perspective view showing a medical product in the form of a surgical microelectric instrument with a transponder;

[0041] Figure 2 A perspective view showing a medical product in the form of a needle holder with a transponder;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic view showing a system according to the present disclosure in a state in which a medical product is stored in a sterile article container on a storage table remote from a sterile area;

[0043] Figure 4 Shows the basis in a state Figure 3 A schematic illustration of a system of FIG. 1 , in which state one of the sterile article containers is outside the storage area and partially outside the sterile area;

[0044] Figure 5 Shows the basis in a state Figure 3 A schematic view of a system in which one of the sterile object containers is temporarily stored on a presentation table in the sterile area and one of the sterile object containers is outside the storage area and outside the sterile area;

[0045] Figure 6 Shows the basis in a state Figure 3 A schematic view of a system in which a medical product removed from a sterile product container located outside the sterile area is alternatively located outside or inside the sterile area;

[0046] Figure 7 Shows the basis in a state Figure 3 A schematic illustration of a system of FIG. 1 in which one of the medical products is located away from the presentation table within the sterile area but outside the surgical field;

[0047] Figure 8 Shows the basis in a state Figure 3 A schematic illustration of a system of FIG. 1 in which one of the medical products is located away from the providing table and near the operating area within the sterile area;

[0048] Fig. 9 Shows the basis in a state Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a system of FIG. 1 in which one of the medical products is within a surgical area; and

[0049] Fig.10 A schematic diagram showing a monitoring area formed by overlapping multiple recognition areas.

[0050] Among them: 2: micro-electric instrument; 4: transponder; 6: needle holder; 8: transponder; 10: operating table; 12: sterile area; 14: surgeon; 16: assistant; 18: instrument nurse; 20, 22: supply table; 23: storage table; 24, 26: sterile item container; 27-36: monitoring device; 38: data processing device; 39-48: identification area; 50-58: identification area; 60: monitoring area; 62-70: monitoring device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] Figure 1A perspective view of a medical product in the form of a surgical microelectric device 2 having a transponder 4 is shown. The transponder 4 is attached to a connector at the proximal end of the microelectric device 2 .

[0052] Figure 2 A perspective view of a medical product in the form of a needle holder 6 with a transponder 8 is shown. The transponder 8 is attached to the ring of the handle opening of the needle holder 6.

[0053] The transponders 4 and 8 are each configured to send a corresponding response signal according to a short-range communication standard when receiving a signal and to send a corresponding (other) response signal according to a (other) RFID standard when receiving a signal. The transponders 4 and 8 are therefore configured as hybrid tags. The transponders 4 and 8 do not have their own energy storage and are therefore passively configured. The transponders 4 and 8 send a corresponding response signal only when a predetermined signal is received. The response signal contains information that uniquely assigns the response signal to the corresponding transponder 4 or 8 and thus uniquely assigns it to the corresponding medical product 2 or 6.

[0054] Figure 3 A schematic top view of an operating room equipped with a system according to the present disclosure is shown. The operating room has an operating table 10, around which extends a sterile area 12. A surgeon 14, an assistant 16 and an instrument nurse 18 stand in the sterile area 12 and around the operating table 10. Two supply tables 20 and 22 are arranged on both sides of the instrument nurse 18 standing on the end side of the operating table 10. A storage table 23 is arranged in the operating room away from the sterile area 12. The micro-electric instrument 2 is supported on the storage table 23 in a sterile article container 24 and the needle holder 6 is supported in a sterile article container 26.

[0055] A monitoring device 27 is provided on the storage table 23. A monitoring device 28 is provided on or in the sterile article container 24. A monitoring device 30 is provided on or in the sterile article container 26. A monitoring device 32 is provided on the instrument table 20. A monitoring device 34 is provided on the instrument table 22. A monitoring device 36 is provided on the operating table 10. The monitoring devices 27-36 are respectively connected to a data processing device 38 and are connected to each other non-wiredly via a WLAN standard network such as a Bluetooth network or a BLE network.

[0056] Identification areas 39 , 40 , 42 , 44 , 46 and 48 extend around each monitoring device 27 - 36 .

[0057] The monitoring device 27 is designed such that the boundaries of a detection area 39 of the monitoring device 27 correspond at least substantially to the contour of the storage platform 23. The monitoring device 27 is designed to detect a transponder 4 or 8 by means of a near field communication signal.

[0058] The detection area 40 of the monitoring device 28 and the detection area 42 of the monitoring device 30 are respectively defined by the corresponding sterile material container 24 or 26, in which the microelectric device 2 or the needle holder 6 is supported. The monitoring devices 28 and 30 are designed to detect the transponder 4 or 8 by means of a near field communication signal.

[0059] The monitoring devices 32 and 34 are designed to detect the transponder 4 or 8 by means of an RFID signal. The detection area 44 of the monitoring device 32 and the detection area 46 of the monitoring device 34 are therefore larger than the detection areas 40 , 42 .

[0060] The monitoring device 36 is also designed to identify the transponder 4 or 8 by means of the RFID signal. However, the strength of the RFID signal of the monitoring device 36 is lower than the strength of the RFID signal of the monitoring devices 32 and 34. Therefore, the identification area 48 of the monitoring device 36 is smaller than the identification areas 44 and 46 of the monitoring devices 32 and 34.

[0061] Figure 4 Shows the basis in a state Figure 3 Schematic view of a system in which the sterile article container 24 is removed from the storage table 23 (see arrow A) and the sterile article container 24 is outside the storage area preset by the storage table 23 and partially in the sterile area 12. Figure 4 In the state shown, the transponder 4 is located not only in the identification area 40 of the sterile article container 24 but also in the identification area 44 of the monitoring device 32 of the provision station 20. Since both the monitoring device 28 and the monitoring device 32 recognize the transponder 4, the system or data processing device 38 can recognize that the microelectric device 2 is still in the sterile article container 24 and that the sterile article container 24 is at least partially in the identification area 44 and is therefore at least partially in the sterile area 12. When the sterile article container 24 moves from the edge of the identification area 44 in the direction of the provision station 20 (see arrow B), the system or data processing device 38 does not register a change in state, because in this movement, only the monitoring devices 28 and 32 recognize the transponder.

[0062] exist Figure 4 In the state shown in , the microelectric device 2 and the sterile article container 24 are no longer on the storage table 23. The transponder 4 is therefore no longer in the identification area 39, but in the identification area 44. The time point from which the transponder 4 is no longer recognized by the monitoring device 27 and the transponder 4 is therefore not in the identification area 39 is reported by the monitoring device 27 to the data processing device 38. Similarly, the time point from which the transponder 4 is recognized by the monitoring device 32 and the transponder is therefore in the identification area 44 is reported by the monitoring device 32 to the data processing device 38.

[0063] exist Figure 5 In the state shown, the sterile article container 24 is located on the supply table 20 together with the microelectric device 2. According to the embodiment shown, the data processing device 38 cannot store the microelectric device 2 or the sterile article container 24 in the supply table 20. Figure 5 The status shown in Figure 4 For better monitoring, the monitoring device 32 can be configured so that it can identify whether a transponder or the transponder 4 is in a near identification area extending around the monitoring device 32, which is smaller than the identification area 44 and in particular extends substantially corresponding to the planar contour of the providing station 20.

[0064] exist Figure 5 In the state shown, the sterile container 26 is away from the storage table 23 (see arrow C) and the sterile container 26 together with the needle holder 6 and the transponder 8 are outside the storage area preset by the storage table 23 and outside the sterile area 12. If the needle holder 6 is removed from the sterile container 26 in this state (see Figure 6 The data processing device 38 detects that the needle holder 6 was not recognized when it was removed from a sterile article container arranged outside the storage area and outside the sterile area or directly after the needle holder was removed. The data processing device 38 according to this embodiment is constructed to output an alarm and / or a warning in the event of such disappearance of an already recognized transponder 8 from the identification areas 39 to 48. It is not important here whether the transponder 8 is recognized by another monitoring device, for example the monitoring device 34 of the provision station 22, within a short period of time after disappearing from the identification area 42 (see Figure 6 Arrow E).

[0065] exist Figure 7 In the state shown in , the microelectric device 2 is removed from the sterile article container 24 placed on the provision table 20 (see arrow F), and the microelectric device 2 or the transponder 4 is only in the identification area 44 of the monitoring device 32 of the provision table 20. The identification area 44 of the monitoring device 32 of the provision table 20 is configured so that it extends only in the sterile area 12, so that the removal of the microelectric device 2 in the identification area 44 does not lead to an alarm message and / or a warning message by the data processing device 38.

[0066] exist Figure 8In the state shown in , microelectric device 2 has moved in the direction of operating table 10 (see arrow G) and transponder 4 of microelectric device 2 is in the overlapping area of ​​identification area 44 of monitoring device 32 of operating table 20 and identification area 48 of monitoring device 36 on operating table 10. As soon as transponder 4 reaches identification area 48 when microelectric device 2 moves in the direction of operating table 10 and is thus identified by monitoring device 36, monitoring device 36 reports the corresponding time to data processing device 38.

[0067] exist Fig. 9 In the state shown, the microelectric device 2 continues to move in the direction of the operating table 10 (see arrow H) and the transponder 4 of the microelectric device 2 is now only in the identification area 48 of the monitoring device 36 of the operating table 10. The time point from which the transponder 4 is no longer recognized by the monitoring device 32 and the transponder 4 is therefore no longer in the identification area 44 is reported by the monitoring device 32 to the data processing device 38.

[0068] Based on the time reported to data processing device 38 by monitoring devices 27, 28, 32 and 36 when transponders 4 in identification areas 39, 40, 44 and 48 are identified or no longer identified, data processing device 38 can calculate the duration during which transponder 4 was in the corresponding identification area 39, 40, 44 and 48. If microelectric device 2 is moved again from operating table 10 to storage table 23 in the reverse order, the time of identification of the transponder is correspondingly reported to data processing device 38 by the monitoring device and data processing device 38 again calculates the duration during which transponder 4 was in the corresponding identification area 39, 40, 44 and 48.

[0069] according to Figures 3 to 9 The system according to the present disclosure shown can calculate the total duration of stay of microelectric devices 2 in the individual detection areas 39 , 40 , 44 and 48 and thus enable coherent monitoring of microelectric devices 2 .

[0070] The monitoring of the needle holder 6 can be carried out in conjunction with the monitoring of the microelectric device 2 .

[0071] At least one predetermined procedure of the operation can be stored in the data processing device 38, from which the sequence of at least two instruments to be used in the operation is derived. If, for example, the microelectric instrument 4 must be used first and then the needle holder 8 in the operation, the data processing device 38 can issue corresponding auxiliary reports during the operation and / or issue an alarm or warning report when the predetermined procedure is deviated from, that is, for example, when the needle holder 8 in front of the microelectric instrument 4 is recognized by the monitoring device 36 of the operating table 10. The data processing device 38 can also be configured so that when, at the end of the operation, the instruments 2 and 6, especially reusable instruments, are not recognized by the monitoring devices 28 and 30 in the corresponding sterile material containers 24 and 26 and / or are not recognized by the monitoring device 27 on the storage table 23, the data processing device issues an alarm or warning report.

[0072] By using transponders in the form of hybrid tags, it is possible to provide identification areas of different sizes in a simple manner and thus flexibly configure the shape of the monitored area. If only states in which only a single monitoring device recognizes the transponder are taken into account when calculating the duration, it is possible to monitor areas with complex shapes by means of the overlapping of multiple identification areas of different monitoring devices.

[0073] Fig.10 A schematic view of a monitoring area 60 formed by overlapping a plurality of identification areas 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 is shown. For this purpose, for example, four monitoring devices 62, 64, 66 and 68 are arranged around a central monitoring device 70, so that the overlap of the identification areas 50, 52, 54 and 56 of the monitoring devices 62, 64, 66 and 68 arranged on the outside with the identification area 58 of the monitoring device 70 arranged in the center defines the part of the identification area 58 of the centrally arranged monitoring device 70 that does not overlap with any other identification area. The part of the identification area 58 of the centrally arranged monitoring device 70 that does not overlap with any other identification area represents the monitoring area 60 in which the duration of the stay of the transponder can be calculated according to the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring at least one surgical instrument in a surgical environment, comprising: At least two monitoring devices are connected or connectable to one another in a data-conducting manner in a monitoring network, each of the monitoring devices having an identification device which is designed to identify whether a transponder of the surgical instrument is located in an identification area extending around the respective monitoring device, wherein The at least two monitoring devices are arranged such that the identification areas of the at least two monitoring devices overlap, a data processing device connected or connectable to the at least two monitoring devices via the monitoring network in a data-conducting manner, the data processing device being designed to store the time at which the transponder was identified by the monitoring devices, and Memory, It is characterized in that One of the at least two monitoring devices is arranged at a providing station located near an operating table in a sterile area in the operating environment, and another of the at least two monitoring devices is arranged at the operating table in the sterile area in the operating environment; The data processing device is configured to calculating the duration for which the transponder is located in only one of the detection areas of the at least two monitoring devices, comparing the calculated duration with a corresponding setpoint duration stored in the memory and outputting a corresponding warning signal if the setpoint duration is exceeded, and / or The sequence in which the at least two monitoring devices recognize the transponders in the recognition area is recorded, the recorded sequence is compared with a corresponding setpoint sequence stored in the memory, and in the event of deviations from the setpoint sequence a corresponding warning signal is output.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The surgical instrument is reusable.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The at least two monitoring devices are designed such that the associated detection areas are of different sizes.

4. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one of the at least two identification devices is configured to be able to identify whether the transponder of the surgical instrument is in a near identification area extending around the corresponding monitoring device and being smaller than the corresponding identification area and / or is configured to be able to identify whether the transponder of the surgical instrument is in a far identification area extending around the corresponding monitoring device and being larger than the corresponding identification area.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that The data processing device is designed to be able to calculate the duration of time that the transponder is in the at least one near identification area and / or the at least one far identification area.

6. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that The data processing device is designed to be able to calculate a duration of time during which the transponder is not in the at least one near identification area and / or is not in the at least one far identification area.

7. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one of the identification devices is configured to be capable of transmitting electromagnetic waves in a first frequency band in order to identify the transponder and capable of receiving the electromagnetic waves from the transponder, and At least one of the identification devices is configured to be able to transmit electromagnetic waves in a second frequency band in order to identify the transponder and to be able to receive the electromagnetic waves from the transponder.

8. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one of the identification devices is configured to transmit electromagnetic waves according to a first transmission standard and to receive the electromagnetic waves from the transponder in order to identify the transponder, and At least one of the identification devices is designed to transmit electromagnetic waves according to a second transmission standard for the purpose of identifying the transponder and to receive the electromagnetic waves from the transponder.

9. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The monitoring network is configured to operate according to a third transmission standard.

10. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The monitoring network is partially or completely meshed.

11. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one monitoring device is arranged in the sterile material container.

12. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one monitoring device is arranged in a storage area of ​​the operating environment.

13. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The system further comprises a positioning system which is configured to detect and / or record the relative positions of the at least two monitoring devices.

14. A method for monitoring at least one surgical instrument in an operating environment, in which at least two monitoring devices which are connected or connectable to one another in a monitoring network in a data-conducting manner are arranged or can be arranged in such a way that the detection areas of the at least two monitoring devices extending around the respective monitoring devices overlap, the method comprising the steps of: - identifying whether the transponder of the surgical instrument is located in one of the identification areas, and - storing the time point of identification of said transponder, It is characterized in that One of the at least two monitoring devices is arranged at a providing station in the environment of an operating table in a sterile area in the operating environment, and another of the at least two monitoring devices is arranged at the operating table in the sterile area in the operating environment; The method further comprises: - calculating the duration for which the transponder is located in only one of the detection areas of the at least two monitoring devices, comparing the calculated duration with a corresponding stored setpoint duration and outputting a corresponding warning signal if the setpoint duration is exceeded, and / or - recording the sequence in which the at least two monitoring devices detect the transponders in the detection area, comparing the recorded sequence with a corresponding stored desired sequence and outputting a corresponding warning signal in the event of deviations from the desired sequence.

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