Location tracking for sterile goods

Hospitals rely on surgical instruments being available in operating theatres to treat patients. Higher throughput of acute patients increases the pressure on sterile service departments and the need for visibility in logistics processes.

X-Tracking™ is a real-time tracking solution enabling full visibility on the whereabouts of instruments between operating theatres in several hospitals and a central sterile service department. Keeping to operational plans is easier. Our solutions are based on four main components: the user interface, the backend engine and integration layer, tags and tag readers. Allow us to introduce you to our solution!

Explore our x-tracking solutions

Item localisation engine

Safety equipment tracking

Medical devices tracking

Bed tracking

CAN YOU RELATE TO THESE CHALLENGES?

Spending too much time calling for instruments when preparing operations
Cancellation of planned operations due to lack of surgical instruments
Highly stressed staff when instruments are required urgently
Low circulation of instruments between operating theatres and sterile services
Lack of overview of the thousands of surgical instruments
Sterile service department struggling to keep up providing service

INSTRUMENT BARCODES AND TAGS

Laser-etched 2D barcodes are used for tracking single instruments. Each instrument is marked with an SGTIN barcode. 2D barcodes are placed on the non-functional parts of an instrument. Some instrument can be equipped with passive RFID tags, but the RFID technology is still in its infancy in this area.

TROLLEY TAGS

Trolleys are tagged with hardcase passive RFID tags that can endure the washing process. One RFID tag is mounted in a position, where it can be easily read by ceiling mounted RFID antennas. The RFID tag is programmed with a GIAI code and displays a GIAI barcode and human readable text.

TRAY TAGS

Trays are tagged with hardcase passive RFID tags that can endure very high temperatures and pressure in the washing and sterilization processes. One RFID tag is mounted on a metal plate in a position, where it can be easily read by ceiling mounted RFID antennas and RFID Handheld Terminals. The RFID tag is programmed with a GIAI code and displays a laser-etched GIAI barcode and human readable text.

STEP BY STEP EXAMPLE OF STERILE GOODS MOVEMENT FROM STERILISATION DECONTAMINATION UNIT (SDU)

Sterile equipment ready to leave SDU in transport carts.
Transportation moves sterile equipment to local and/or remote storage locations.
Sterile equipment is picked from storage location, enters theatre prep rooms ready for procedures.
Sterile equipment is used in a procedure.
Used ‘dirty’ equipment is transported back to SDU for reprocessing.
Sterile equipment ready for transportation from SDU.

TAG READING HARDWARE

Laser-etched barcodes on single instruments are in most cases handled in a sterile service management system like T-DOC, Canexis etc. When assembling a tray with instruments in the sterile service department, each instrument is linked to a tray. When instruments are used in the operating theatres, they are scanned by staff into the sterile service management system.

The RFID tag on the tray is read by an RFID Handheld Terminal carried by staff when trays are loaded into trolleys or in some cases, the laser-etched barcode on the RFID tag is scanned instead, by automatic reading the RFID tag on the trolley. In X-Tracking an instrument set-tray-trolley relation is called Nesting. X-tracking provides data for all trays and their instruments when the trolley changes location.

RFID antennas are installed at logistic choke points throughout the hospital. At each choke point, the tray or trolley automatically changes location in X-Tracking when passing through the choke point. If nesting is configured in X-Tracking, all trays in a trolley also automatically change status, e.g. a trolley with trays onboard entering the operating theatre corridor changes status to Available and an event is created for the trolley and all instrument sets in trays.

xReaders are UHF RFID readers with ceiling mounted RFID antennas that are installed at both sides of a logistic choke point such as entries to depots, departments and sterile service department in the hospital. xReaders automatically read and track trolleys and trays passing through choke points. Reading distance in a choke point is reduced to 3-4 meters and timing is within 1-2 seconds.

RFID Handheld Terminals are used by staff to manually register a tray or trolley in a location and change the status of a trolley and trays.

LYNGSOE LIVE LOGISTICS™ - FULL INTEGRATION

Lyngsoe LIVE Logistics manages and handles data consolidation of tag readings from all safety equipment, processing of data captured from barcodes and RFID tags. It handles location management and location master data.

Lyngsoe LIVE Logistics manages a trace database and provides validated tracking information for safety equipment through a standard EPCIS interface to frontend applications or ERP systems. Master data for safety equipment can be created and maintained in X-Tracking to replace local spreadsheets.

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