Medical Device Control Mapping to Reduce OR Clutter and Setup Errors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical operating rooms are cluttered with multiple user control devices for different medical devices, leading to increased setup time, sterilization complexity, and cognitive burden, and are prone to human error due to manual connections.
Innovation Solution
A central controller determines the association of a user control device with multiple medical devices, allowing a single user control device to be mapped to different medical devices through image processing, user selection, or sensor data, enabling seamless control across devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple user control devices are used to control different medical devices, then each medical device can be controlled independently, but the clutter and cognitive burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal user control device that can control multiple different medical devices through dynamic mapping. The control device is not dedicated to a single medical device but can be associated with different devices based on procedural needs, allowing one control device to serve multiple functions and control multiple medical devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a central controller or mapping mechanism as an intermediary between the user control device and multiple medical devices. This intermediary dynamically routes control signals from the single user control device to the appropriate medical device based on the current procedural context, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated control devices.
2Reliability
If multiple user control devices are deployed, then each medical device has dedicated control, but setup time and sterilization complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By using a single universal user control device that can be dynamically mapped to different medical devices, the system eliminates the need to set up and sterilize multiple dedicated control devices. The same control device serves multiple medical devices throughout the procedure, significantly reducing preparation and sterilization time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows the mapping of the user control device to be dynamically changed during procedures. When a medical device is completed or replaced, the control mapping is switched to the next device, effectively 'discarding' the previous mapping and 'recovering' the control device for new use without physical reconnection or sterilization.
3Ease of operation
If manual connection of user control devices to medical devices is performed, then personnel can establish control mappings, but human error increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic mapping of the user control device to medical devices based on sensor data, image processing, or procedural context. The mapping is established automatically without requiring manual intervention from personnel, thereby eliminating human error in the mapping process while maintaining ease of operation through automated detection and association.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensor data and image processing to provide feedback about which medical device is currently being used or is next in the procedure sequence. This feedback automatically triggers the appropriate mapping of the user control device to the correct medical device, ensuring accurate control associations without manual intervention.
4Device complexity
If a single user control device controls multiple medical devices, then clutter is reduced, but device association complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines and establishes the mapping between the user control device and medical devices using sensor data, image processing, and procedural context. This self-service automation handles the complexity of device association without requiring manual configuration, allowing a single control device to manage multiple medical devices seamlessly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical connection and configuration of control devices with automated electronic mapping based on sensor data and image processing. This substitution eliminates the need for physical reconnection of control devices while automatically managing the complexity of associations through electronic identification and routing.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for controlling medical devices includes receiving a user input to a user control device that is communicatively connected to a first medical device controller, the first medical device controller configured to control a first medical device; transmitting a message associated with the user input from the first medical device controller to a second medical device controller; and controlling, by the second medical device controller, based on the message, a second medical device communicatively connected to the second medical device controller.