초록 ▼

A surgical sponge and fluid monitoring system and method are provided. The system includes a support ring for securely supporting a container with at least one port opening for placing sponges into the container through the port opening with the aid of gravity. The support ring includes IR emitters

A surgical sponge and fluid monitoring system and method are provided. The system includes a support ring for securely supporting a container with at least one port opening for placing sponges into the container through the port opening with the aid of gravity. The support ring includes IR emitters and sensors that blanket IR beams across the port opening. The support ring is mechanically linked to a load cell in the system. The processor, with novel methods, reliably detects when sponges are placed into the container through the port opening, counts the number of sponges in the container, sorts the types of sponges, and calculates fluid loss for a patient in a surgical procedure. A user interface in the monitoring system keeps the medical professionals in the OR fully informed.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A surgical object and fluid monitoring system, comprising: a support ring for securely supporting a container with at least one port opening of the container being disposed for receiving surgical objects placed into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity;a hol

1. A surgical object and fluid monitoring system, comprising: a support ring for securely supporting a container with at least one port opening of the container being disposed for receiving surgical objects placed into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity;a hollow spine structure vertically oriented and comprising a channel with channel walls along the length of the hollow spine structure;a rod movably disposed in the channel within the hollow spine structure, the rod moveable along the channel;a weight force sensing device mechanically coupled to the rod, the support ring mechanically coupled to the rod, and the rod being in a moving arrangement that transfers weight force from the support ring to the weight force sensing device;a flexure mechanically coupled with the rod and the hollow spine structure, the flexure adding very little if any downward force onto the rod and thereby onto the weight force sensing device while maintaining the rod vertically aligned in the channel with an air gap separating the length of the rod from the channel walls, the air gap allowing the rod to move vertically without friction from contact with the channel walls while the rod in the channel is protected from impact by the channel walls; anda processor communicatively coupled with the weight force sensing device, wherein the processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performs operations comprising: determining an incremental weight of the contents of the container from a surgical object placed into the container through the port opening, based at least on an information signal received from the weight force sensing device indicating a change in weight force sensed by the weight force sensing device contemporaneous with the placement of the surgical object into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of pairs of optical emitter matched to optical sensor devices, arranged about the support ring to blanket the port opening with one or more optical beams from the plurality of pairs; and whereinthe processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performs operations comprising: detecting placement of a surgical object into the container through the at least one port opening by monitoring at least a break in one of the one or more optical beams that blanket the port opening; andcontemporaneous with the detecting, receiving the information signal from the weight force sensing device. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more optical beams comprise at least one infrared beam. 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of pairs of optical emitter matched to optical sensor devices are arranged about the support ring such that the one or more beams are oriented in a detection region spanning across, and just below, the at least one port opening of the container. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the flexure is mechanically coupled with a top of the rod and the hollow spine structure. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein: the flexure provides tensioning spring force on the rod keeping the rod aligned in the channel and in mechanical contact with the weight force sensing device. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein: the weight force sensing device comprises a load cell that is electrically coupled with the processor. 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a base structure that supports the hollow spine structure; andwherein the weight force sensing device comprises a load cell that is located inside the base and is electrically coupled with the processor. 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a base structure with wheels for moving the base structure, wherein the base structure supports the hollow spine structure in a substantially vertical orientation, the hollow spine structure comprising a handle to facilitate a user holding the handle and moving the system on the wheels of the base structure;a sensor that senses at least one of 1) user contact with the handle, and2) user actuation of a grip mechanism of the handle, and thatgenerates a first sense signal in response to sensing at least one of: affirmative user contact with the handle, and affirmative user actuation of the grip mechanism of the handle, and thatgenerates a second sense signal in response to sensing lack of any user contact with the handle;at least one electrically controllable brake mechanically coupled with at least one of the wheels to stop and immediately lock the at least one of the wheels with the at least one electrically controllable brake;the processor being communicatively coupled with the sensor and with the at least one electrically controllable brake; andwherein the processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performs operations comprising:monitoring the sensor for a sense signal; and if the sense signal comprises the first sense signal, sending a first control signal to the at least one electrically controllable brake to release the at least one electrically controllable brake, the at least one of the wheels being freely rotatable, andif the sense signal comprises the second sense signal, sending a second control signal to the at least one electrically controllable brake thereby applying the at least one electrically controllable brake and locking in place the at least one of the wheels. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one port opening comprises a plurality of port openings, and each of the plurality of port openings being sized and dimensioned for receiving a type of surgical object different from respective types of surgical objects received through each of the other port openings of the plurality of port openings, and wherein the support ring comprising a plurality of pairs of optical emitter matched to optical sensor devices arranged about the support ring to blanket each of the plurality of port openings with one or more optical beams from the plurality of pairs of optical emitter matched to optical sensor devices; and wherein the processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performs operations comprising: detecting placement of a surgical object into the container through one port opening of the plurality of port openings by monitoring at least a break in one of the one or more optical beams that blanket the one port opening;counting the numbers and sorting the type of the surgical object placed into the container through the one port opening;contemporaneous with the detecting, receiving an information signal from the weight force sensing device; anddetermining an incremental weight of the contents of the container from the surgical object placed into the container through the one port opening, based at least on the information signal received from the weight force sensing device indicating a change in weight force sensed by the weight force sensing device contemporaneous with the placement of the surgical object into the container through the one port opening with the aid of gravity. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein every surgical object is a sponge and each type of sponge is sorted by the processor by at least different size and dimension to other types of sponges, based on the detecting placement of a sponge into the container through one port opening of the plurality of port openings. 12. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of pairs of optical emitter matched to optical sensor devices, arranged about the support ring to blanket the port opening with one or more optical beams from the plurality of pairs;wherein every surgical object is a sponge; andwherein the processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performs operations comprising:counting the number of sponges placed into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity, the counting being reliably achieved in real-time with the processor at least determining a time delay between the time of detection of at least one optical beam break in the one or more optical beams and the time of receiving the information signal from the weight force sensing device to indicate the change in weight force sensed by the weight force sensing device contemporaneous with the placement of a sponge into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity, the determined time delay being compared to a tolerance limit to make a positive determination of a valid sponge count. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performs operations comprising: counting the number of sponges placed into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity, the counting being reliably achieved in real-time with the processor at least determining that the received information signal from the weight force sensing device indicates a valid change in weight force sensed, within a tolerance limit, for an expected type of sponge to place into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity. 14. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a surgical object profile repository for storing at least an expected “dry” (non-fluid-filled) weight value for the surgical objects expected to be placed into the container through the at least one port opening; andwherein the processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performs operations comprising: determining a fluid weight of the surgical object placed into the container through the at least one port opening by at least comparing the determined incremental weight of the contents of the container from the surgical object placed into the container to an expected “dry” (non-fluid-filled) weight value for the surgical object retrieved from the surgical object profile repository. 15. A method, with a processor of an information processing system, for monitoring at least one surgical object placed into a container, the method comprising: securely supporting a container having at least one port opening, the container supported with a rod vertically aligned and moveably disposed in a channel of a vertically oriented hollow spine structure with an air gap separating the length of the rod from the channel walls, the air gap allowing the rod to move vertically without friction from contact with the channel walls, the rod transferring a weight force from the supported container to a weight force sensing device mechanically coupled to the rod;detecting, with a processor, placement of a surgical object into the container through one of the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity;contemporaneous with the detecting, receiving an information signal that indicates an incremental weight force of the container; anddetermining, with the processor, an incremental weight of the contents of the container from the surgical object placed into the container through the port opening, based at least on the received information signal indicating a valid incremental change in weight of the contents of the container from the surgical object placed into the container through the port opening with the aid of gravity. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the detecting placement comprises: detecting placement of the surgical object into the container through the one port opening of the plurality of port openings by at least monitoring a break in one of a plurality of IR beams that blanket the one port opening; andcounting in real time, with the processor, the number of surgical objects placed into the container through the one port opening, based at least on the detecting placement of the surgical object by at least monitoring a break in one of the plurality of IR beams that blanket the one port opening. 17. The method of claim 16, comprising: counting the numbers and sorting the type of the surgical object placed into the container through the one port opening. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of IR beams that blanket the one port opening are arranged about a central opening of a support ring that supports the container such that the plurality of IR beams are oriented in a detection region spanning across, just below the one port opening of the container, and inside the container. 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one surgical object is at least one sponge, and the method further comprising: counting the number of sponges placed into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity, the counting being reliably achieved in real-time with the processor at least determining that the received information signal from the weight force sensing device indicates a valid change in weight force sensed, within a tolerance limit, for an expected type of sponge to place into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity. 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one surgical object is at least one sponge, and the method further comprising: counting the number of sponges placed into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity, the counting being reliably achieved in real-time with the processor at least determining a time delay between the time of detection of placement of a surgical object into the container through one of the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity and the time of receiving the information signal, the determined time delay being compared to a tolerance limit to make a positive determination of a valid sponge count. 21. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one surgical object is at least one sponge, and the method further comprising: determining a fluid weight of a sponge placed into the container through the at least one port opening by at least comparing the determined incremental weight of the contents of the container from the sponge placed into the container to an expected “dry” (non-fluid-filled) weight value for the sponge. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising: accumulating a total amount of fluid loss for a patient over a time period during a surgical procedure, based at least on the determining of fluid weight of one or more sponges placed into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity. 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: accumulating amount of fluid loss of a patient over a time period during a surgical procedure from a plurality of separate monitoring systems, where each system monitors a type of fluid loss that is different than respective other systems in the plurality of separate monitoring systems, each separate monitoring systems being communicatively coupled at least with a command center monitoring system in the plurality of separate monitoring systems;receiving, with the command center monitoring system, accumulated total amounts of fluid loss from each other of the plurality of separate monitoring systems;aggregating, with the command center monitoring system, all of the accumulated total amounts of fluid loss of the patient monitored by the plurality of separate monitoring systems into an aggregate amount of fluid loss of the patient monitored by the plurality of separate monitoring systems; andproviding via a user interface to a user of the command center monitoring system the aggregate amount of fluid loss of a patient. 24. A surgical object and fluid monitoring system, comprising: a support ring for supporting a container with at least one port opening of the container being disposed for receiving surgical objects placed into the container through the at least one port opening with the aid of gravity;a hollow spine structure vertically oriented and comprising a channel with channel walls along the length of the hollow spine structure;a rod movably disposed in the channel within the hollow spine structure, the rod moveable along the channel;a weight force sensing device mechanically coupled to the rod, the support ring mechanically coupled to the rod, and the rod being in a moving arrangement that transfers weight force from the support ring to the weight force sensing device;a flexure mechanically coupled with the rod and the hollow spine structure, the flexure maintaining the rod vertically aligned in the channel with an air gap separating the length of the rod from the channel walls, the air gap allowing the rod to move vertically without friction from contact with the channel walls while the rod in the channel is protected from impact by the channel walls; anda processor communicatively coupled with the weight force sensing device, wherein the processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performs operations comprising: determining an incremental weight of the contents of the container from a surgical object placed into the container through the port opening with the aid of gravity. 25. The system of claim 24, further comprising: short range communication circuits communicatively coupled with the processor, for interrogation, with the processor, of an RFID device in the container. 26. The system of claim 24, further comprising: a channel impactor block mechanically fixed to the rod and located at least partially within the channel, the air gap separating the channel impactor block from the channel walls, the air gap allowing the rod and the channel impactor block to move vertically without friction from contact with the channel walls while the rod in the channel is protected from impact by the channel impactor block and the channel walls. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the channel impactor block is constructed of impact absorbing material.