RFID Surgical Tool Tracking System

RFID surgical tool tracking system is an important requirement in healthcare industry. In the near future, the global market for surgical instrument tracking systems is expected to grow at a double-digit rate. A surgical instrument tracking system is a small tool tracking system that aids in the management of inventory at various points of service in order to meet the needs of each patient. This tool management software improves patient safety. This is due to the fact that improved sterile processing and distribution processes make it easier to optimize patient care. It aids in the reduction of case delays because the system ensures that all necessary instruments are available on time, every time. To improve staff productivity, surgical instrument tracking systems provide insights into sterile processing department (SPD) processes. The system aids in resource and instrument management, reducing the need for on-the-spot steam sterilization (IUSS).

During a surgical procedure, surgeons can utilize up to 250 different tools to perform tasks such as cutting, grasping, cauterizing, suturing, suctioning, and bleeding control. Every tool must be physically counted by staff at the hospital both before and after surgery to make sure that none have gone missing, which is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. This accounting process is slow and prone to error, and it has been known to result in metal tools, sponges, towels, safety pins, and other objects being left inside patients’ bodies by accident. There are techniques to track surgical applicators using radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, but such a surgical tool tracking system has proven more difficult to develop for reusable metal tools, which must be sterilized between procedures.

The rising incidence of surgical instrument misplacement, as well as the rising number of hospital-acquired infections, are driving the growth of the surgical instrument tracking system market. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 90,000 people die in the United States each year as a result of hospital-acquired infection. As a result, the surgical instrument tracking system market is being driven by the need to prevent infection caused by contaminated instruments as well as the need for better inventory management.

Surgeons use a vapor deposition method to deposit a dielectric material onto the tool’s metal surface, then use sputter techniques to pattern a conductive antenna on top of the dielectric, attach an RFID chip to the antenna, and finally use the same process used for the dielectric to add a biocompatible sealant. This technique allows an antenna in the operating room to wirelessly track and count the tools, and it can withstand repeated sterilizations.

RFID surgical instrument tracking systems are asset tracking software, that allows hospitals to have a faster, more detailed accounting of components before and after surgery. As previously demonstrated on pigs, waving an RFID reader over the patient can accurately detect tagged foreign objects inside the body. According to one market research firm’s recent report, these systems are expected to become a new benchmark throughout the hospital community. Surgical instruments can be tracked during surgery, which can help to clarify the usage rate of each instrument and serve

as a backup method of counting instruments. The accurate inventory and upkeep of surgical instruments reduce the risk of miscounting and malfunction in the operating room.

RFID can reveal the location of all surgical instruments and equipment at any given time, preventing the potentially fatal issue of a device being accidentally left inside a patient’s

body. The standard procedure is for operating room personnel to manually count and keep track of all surgical instruments in use. RFID does the work for them, allowing them to focus on other important tasks.

Asset tracking improves efficiency and reduces costs for hospitals, which are responsible for handling hundreds of items of equipment spread across large facilities. Nursing staff may waste valuable time looking for a wheelchair or IV pump. Surgeries may be postponed if a crucial piece of equipment cannot be found. Automated tracking saves time and assists organizations with difficult-to-find equipment, such as the all-too-elusive collections of endoscopes.

However, this type of asset tracking improves patient safety. It can be hard to accurately account for all of the necessary surgical instruments before, during, and after a procedure due to human error. Inaccurate instrument lists, untrained staff, or time constraints can all jeopardize accuracy. Hand counting these instruments can slow down the operating room’s turnover time and jeopardize patient care quality.