Surgical Tray Instrument Detection via Image Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual counting of surgical instruments is inefficient, prone to human error, and has led to accidents where instruments are left behind during surgeries, resulting in complications and high recovery costs.
Innovation Solution
A computing server system that uses a camera device to capture images of a surgical tray with a matrix code, compares the detected instruments with a preset list from a database, and identifies any missing instruments, enhancing accuracy and efficiency by using HSV representation and morphological operations for feature detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual counting of surgical instruments is performed, then human error and accidents of leaving instruments behind occur, but the process is slow and requires substantial time and concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical counting process with an automated image processing system. A camera captures images of the surgical tray, and computer algorithms automatically detect and count instruments using edge detection, shape recognition, and pattern matching, eliminating human involvement in the actual counting task while providing both high accuracy and rapid results
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the physical surgical tray through image capture. The bitmap representation of the tray and instruments allows the system to analyze instrument presence and count without physically handling each instrument, enabling simultaneous achievement of accuracy and speed through automated image analysis
2Loss of information
If manual handling of each instrument is performed for counting, then instrument tracking can be achieved, but the process is prone to human error and inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous monitoring of surgical trays by automatically capturing images and processing them through the detection algorithm. Multiple trays can be processed in sequence without interruption, and the system can operate continuously during surgical procedures to ensure no instruments are missed, thereby achieving complete instrument accounting rapidly and efficiently
3Measurement precision
If conventional manual counting techniques are used, then instrument presence can be verified, but the process is tedious and requires substantial concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex task of instrument detection into distinct processing stages: image capture, preprocessing (grayscale conversion, noise filtering), edge detection, shape analysis, and final counting. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, achieving high detection precision while managing system complexity through modular architecture
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter described herein generally relates to determining whether any surgical instruments are missing on a surgical tray, and, if any instrument is missing, identifying the missing instrument(s). In one aspect, a server can receive, from a camera device, a matrix code and a bitmap of an image of a tray having a first plurality of instruments. The server can detect the tray based on the matrix code. The server can receive, from a database, a list of a second plurality of instruments configured to be stored in the detected tray. The server can detect the first plurality of instruments stored in the tray by using the bitmap. The server can compare the preset list of the second plurality of instruments with the detected first plurality of instruments to generate an output characterizing whether any instruments is missing from the tray and an identification of the missing instrument(s).