Method of Operating a Medical Surveillance System for Handling And/or Surveilling Objects in a Medical Operation Room and a Surveillance System with Enhanced Functionality for Application in a Medical Operation Room and a Corresponding Apparatus.

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This patent describes an advanced medical surveillance system for use in operating rooms. It utilizes a specialized tray equipped with lighting and display capabilities, combined with imaging (such as cameras and possibly AI-driven image recognition), to automatically identify, track, and document surgical instruments and biological tissue samples. The system includes data sets linking images and identifiers (e.g., QR codes or RFID tags) to each object, enabling secure tracking and reducing the risk of retained surgical items. The invention also details a separation arrangement to divide sterile and non-sterile zones in the operating room, integrating pass-through openings with automated transport, disinfection, and monitoring systems for medical equipment.

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• Preventing surgical instruments from being left inside patients during surgery by automatic tracking and inventory.
• Secure handling, identification, and tracking of biological tissue samples for diagnostic purposes (e.g., pathology labs), ensuring the correct sample is analyzed without mix-ups.
• Real-time documentation and video/photo recording during surgical procedures for auditing, teaching, and liability protection.
• Improved workflow in operating rooms by automating the process of instrument and tissue handling, reducing manual errors and increasing efficiency.
• Maintaining and monitoring strict separation between sterile and non-sterile areas in operating theaters, with automated transfer and sterile handling of medical objects and waste.
• Integration with hospital IT systems for centralized data storage, retrieval, and analysis for quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and research.

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• Greatly reduces the risk of 'retained surgical items,' increasing patient safety and lowering liability risks for hospitals and surgeons.
• Improves traceability and chain-of-custody for biological specimens, reducing misidentification and result errors in pathology.
• Automates traditionally manual, error-prone processes, increasing efficiency and reliability in busy surgical settings.
• Supports strict sterility protocols and enhances infection control by isolating sterile operations from non-sterile activities and personnel.
• Facilitates comprehensive digital documentation, audit trails, and real-time condition monitoring for instruments, samples, and environment.
• Flexible modular design (movable trays, walls, screens, etc.) allows adaptation to different operating room layouts and hospital needs.
• Supports advanced analysis (e.g., AI-driven image recognition, multispectral analysis of tissue, real-time sterility sensing) for enhanced diagnostic and operational capabilities.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method of operating a medical surveillance system for handling and/or surveilling at least one object in a medical operation room, wherein in the at least one object being surgical instruments and/or animal or human tissue (65) located in a storage box (60), the method comprising the following steps: • - placing the at least one object on a tray (30), wherein the tray (30) is a screen comprising one or more lighting elements, • - taking at least a first picture of the at least one object on the tray (30) at a first point in time, • -identifying the at least one object in the first picture, • - generating at least a first data set comprising data relating to the at least one object identified in the at least first picture. The invention relates further to a method of retrieving a data set and to a corresponding apparatus.