초록 ▼

A container holds at least one surgical implement, has a lock mechanism, and has a signature label that impedes access to the surgical implement until the correct surgical site is confirmed. A method of using the container includes the steps of confirming the correct surgical site, signing the label

A container holds at least one surgical implement, has a lock mechanism, and has a signature label that impedes access to the surgical implement until the correct surgical site is confirmed. A method of using the container includes the steps of confirming the correct surgical site, signing the label and removing it from the container, placing the label in the medical record, unlocking the container, removing the implement, and beginning the surgery, wherein the surgical team is forced to pause to confirm the correct surgical site before starting the surgery. Preferably, the container top may be removed and placed between the surgeon and surgical technician to define a no-hands “neutral zone” to avoid being stuck by the sharps. Also, the container preferably includes compartments for storing used sharps and/or a local anesthetic-loaded syringe, and the top may be replaced and secured for safely disposing of the sharps after the surgery.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of preventing a wrong-site error during surgery, comprising: accessing a container having a top portion containing a first lock opening sized and shaped to receive a locking pin and a bottom portion containing a second lock opening sized and shaped to receive a locking pin, said bottom p

1. A method of preventing a wrong-site error during surgery, comprising: accessing a container having a top portion containing a first lock opening sized and shaped to receive a locking pin and a bottom portion containing a second lock opening sized and shaped to receive a locking pin, said bottom portion adapted to slidably engage said top portion whereby said top portion and said bottom portion are movable between a closed position and an open position, each said lock opening positioned within said top or bottom portion to form an overlapping orientation to receive a locking pin when in the closed position, the container defining one or more internal compartments; one or more surgical implements positioned within the one or more compartments, wherein the surgical implements are needed when beginning the surgical procedure; a lock mechanism that secures the container in the closed position, the lock mechanism comprising a locking pin having at least one portion for linearly engaging said first and second openings when said container is in the closed position; and a removable label including a checklist for confirming surgery-related information and one or more fields for signatures, said label positioned in front of the locking pin to prevent or impede access to at least a portion of the locking pin without first removing the label;verifying a correct surgical site and filling in the surgical-site information input field of the label with the surgical-site information to conduct a pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site;removing the label from the container and saving it as a medical record for later documentation that the pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site was in fact conducted;opening the container and removing the at least one surgical implement; and using the at least one surgical implement at the outset of the surgery,wherein the pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site is timely conducted before opening the container, removing the at least one surgical implement, and starting the surgery with the at least one surgical implement, andwherein timely conducting the pre-surgery assessment is prompted by the label being positioned to prevent or at least impede opening the container, and wherein the initial position, input field, and removal of the label effectively accomplish the dual purposes of first forcing the prompt for the pre-surgery assessment and then second documenting that the pre-surgery assessment in fact was conducted. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing the label from the container comprises removing the label from its initial position blocking access to the lock mechanism; andthe step of opening the container comprises accessing and operating the lock mechanism to open the container. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the container top is removed to open the container, and further comprising: positioning the removed container top between a surgeon and a surgical team member to define a neutral zone where hands are not to meet; andexchanging surgical sharps between the surgeon and the surgical team member without sticking each other, wherein the surgeon places selected ones of the surgical sharps within the container top for the surgical team member to then pick up, and vice versa. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the container bottom includes at least one compartment that holds the at least one surgical implement and one or more dedicated compartments for surgical needles, and further comprising: removing the top and the bottom from each other; positioning the removed container bottom beside a surgical team member; and after the surgical needles have been used in the surgery, storing the used surgical needles in the dedicated compartments in the container bottom. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the container bottom includes at least one compartment that holds the at least one surgical implement and including one or more dedicated compartments for surgical needles, and further comprising: removing the top and the bottom from each other; positioning the removed container bottom beside a surgical team member; after the surgical needles have been used in the surgery, storing the used surgical needles in the dedicated compartments in the container bottom; replacing the top on the container to close the container; and disposing of the container with the used sharps safely inside. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of saving the removed label as a medical record comprises placing the removed label in a corresponding patient chart. 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the surgeon and the surgical team member are both positioned on one side of an operating table, and wherein the step of positioning the removed container top between the surgeon and the surgical team member includes positioning the removed container top on the side of the operating table with the surgeon and the surgical team member. 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of positioning the removed container bottom beside a surgical team member includes positioning the removed container bottom on an opposite side of the surgical team member from the container top. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the label includes at least one field for inputting a surgical team member signature, and further comprising the step of filling in the signature field of the label with the surgical team member signature to conduct the pre-surgery assessment confirming a correct surgical site. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing the label from the container comprises removing the label from the container and saving the label intact as the medical record. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more surgical implements comprise a syringe loaded with a local anesthetic, at least one surgical blade, or both. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the label in its initial position removably attached to the container extends across and is attached to first and second portions of the container to function as a lock mechanism retaining the container closed. 13. The method of claim 2, wherein said locking mechanism includes a tie member. 14. A method of preventing a wrong-site error during surgery, comprising: accessing a container having a top portion containing a first lock opening sized and shaped to receive a locking pin and a bottom portion containing a second lock opening sized and shaped to receive a locking pin, said bottom portion adapted to slidably engage said top portion whereby said top portion and said bottom portion are movable between a closed position and an open position, each said lock opening positioned within said top or bottom portion to form an overlapping orientation to receive a locking pin when in the closed position, the container defining one or more internal compartments; one or more surgical implements positioned within the one or more compartments, wherein the surgical implements are needed when beginning the surgical procedure; a lock mechanism that secures the container in the closed position, the lock mechanism comprising a locking pin having at least one portion for linearly engaging said first and second openings when said container is in the closed position; and a removable label including a checklist for confirming surgery-related information and one or more fields for signatures, said label positioned in front of the locking pin to prevent or impede access to at least a portion of the locking pin without first removing the label;verifying a correct surgical site, filling in the surgical-site information input field of the label with the surgical-site information, and filling in the signature input field of the label with the surgical team member signature, to conduct a pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site;removing the label from the container and saving it as a medical record for later documentation that the pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site was in fact conducted;opening the container and removing the at least one surgical implement;using the at least one surgical implement at the outset of the surgery;after the at least one surgical implement has been used in the surgery, storing the used at least one surgical implement in the container;closing the container; anddisposing of the closed container with the used at least one surgical implement safely inside,wherein the pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site is timely conducted before opening the container, removing the at least one surgical implement, and starting the surgery with the at least one surgical implement, wherein timely conducting the presurgery assessment is prompted by the label being positioned to prevent or at least impede opening the container, andwherein the initial position, input fields, and removal of the label effectively accomplish the dual purposes of first forcing the prompt for the pre-surgery assessment and then second documenting that the pre-surgery assessment in fact was conducted. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the container top is removed to open the container, and further comprising: positioning the removed container top between a surgeon and a surgical team member to define a neutral zone where hands are not to meet; and exchanging surgical sharps between the surgeon and the surgical team member without sticking each other, wherein the surgeon places selected ones of the surgical sharps within the container top for the surgical team member to then pick up, and vice versa. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the surgeon and the surgical team member are both positioned on one side of an operating table, and wherein the step of positioning the removed container top between the surgeon and the surgical team member includes positioning the removed container top on the side of the operating table with the surgeon and the surgical team member. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the container bottom that couples to the top and from which the top is removed to open the container, further comprising positioning the removed container bottom beside a surgical team member on an opposite side of the surgical team member from the container top, wherein the step of storing the used at least one surgical implement in the container comprises storing the used the at least one surgical implement in the container bottom. 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more surgical implements comprise a syringe loaded with a local anesthetic, at least one surgical blade, or both. 19. The method of claim 14, wherein the label in its initial position removably attached to the container extends across and is attached to said top and bottom portions of the container to function as a lock mechanism retaining the container closed. 20. The method of claim 14, wherein: the step of removing the label from the container comprises removing the label from its initial position blocking access to the lock mechanism; andthe step of opening the container comprises accessing and operating the lock mechanism to open the container. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein locking mechanism includes a tie member. 22. A method of preventing a wrong-site error during surgery, comprising: accessing a container having a top portion containing a first lock opening sized and shaped to receive a locking pin and a bottom portion containing a second lock opening sized and shaped to receive a locking pin, said bottom portion adapted to slidably engage said top portion whereby said top portion and said bottom portion are movable between a closed position and an open position, each said lock opening positioned within said top or bottom portion to form an overlapping orientation to receive a locking pin when in the closed position, the container defining one or more internal compartments; one or more surgical implements positioned within the one or more compartments, wherein the surgical implements are needed when beginning the surgical procedure; a lock mechanism that secures the container in the closed position, the lock mechanism comprising a locking pin having at least one portion for linearly engaging said first and second openings when said container is in the closed position; and a removable label including a checklist for confirming surgery-related information and one or more fields for signatures, said label positioned in front of the locking pin to prevent or impede access to at least a portion of the locking pin without first removing the label;verifying a correct surgical site and filling in the surgical-site input information field of the label with the surgical-site information to conduct a pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site;removing the label from the container and saving it as a medical record for later documentation that the pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site was in fact conducted;opening the container and removing the at least one surgical implement; and using the at least one surgical implement at the outset of the surgery,wherein the pre-surgery assessment confirming the correct surgical site is timely conducted before opening the container, removing the at least one surgical implement, and starting the surgery with the at least one surgical implement, wherein timely conducting the presurgery assessment is prompted by being confronted with the label including the surgical site information field, andwherein the prompt is forced by the at least one surgical implement being required at the outset of the surgery and held within the container and by the label being positioned to prevent or at least impede opening the container so that the label must be confronted in order to remove the label from the container to open the container to access the at least one surgical implement to begin the surgery, and wherein the initial position, input field, and removal of the label effectively accomplish the dual purposes of first forcing the prompt for the pre-surgery assessment and then second documenting that the pre-surgery assessment in fact was conducted.