Bar codes used to track surgical instruments

Published April 7, 2010
81st Medical Group

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- A research project at the 81st Medical Group Hospital, sponsored by the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General, has added a new application.

The project, which uses automated identification and data collection applications, seeks to improve clinical and business processes. AIDC includes technologies such as radiofrequency identification, ultrasound, bar codes and infrared that allows an item to be identified nearby, in the case of bar codes, or at a distance, using RFID.

A proof-of-concept recently started in the hospital's central sterile supply. It involves surgical tray and instrument tracking under the guidance of Capt. Yvonne Hill, 81st Surgical Operations Squadron. It uses two-dimensional bar codes that are electrochemically etched into the stainless steel surgical instruments. The 2D bar codes, approximately 4 mm square, uniquely identify each instrument as well as its type and are linked to information in the system data base.

As technicians assemble a tray for surgery, each instrument is scanned and compared against a count sheet for that particular type of surgery. An alert is given if the incorrect instrument has been chosen or if an instrument may have reached its expiration date -- some instruments have an expiration date and must be discarded after a certain number of uses. Once the tray is assembled, an autoclavable RFID tag is affixed to the tray and, following sterilization, the tray and contents may be quickly and accurately located in storage as the need arises.

This system ensures that all trays are complete and that no instruments have exceeded their expiration date. Since scanning also allows the computer to present the instrument's picture and manufacturer's specification, it's particularly useful when training student surgical technicians.

The 81st MDG Hospital is a Phase II training site for this and several other Air Force enlisted medical specialties.

Matthijs Uijterschout, Shipcom Wireless, Inc., and Larry George, senior telemedicine consultant and project manager for the Center for Partnerships in Research and Technology, Medical Modernization Directorate, Office of the Air Force Surgeon General, contributed to this report.