Devices for instrument use recording, devices for recording instrument reprocessing events, and related systems and methods

1. An instrument, comprising:

a shaft comprising a proximal end portion and a distal end portion;

an end effector at the distal end portion of the shaft;

a transmission mechanism at the proximal end portion of the shaft, the transmission mechanism comprising:

a driven input device engageable with an external drive mechanism, and

an indicator operably coupled to the driven input device and moveable through each of a plurality of consecutive positions,

wherein each of the plurality of consecutive positions is associated with a unique indicia of a non-zero number of available uses left of the instrument, and

wherein in response to the driven input device being driven by the external drive mechanism, the indicator moves from a current position of the plurality of positions to a subsequent position of the plurality of positions; and

a device configured to record occurrence of a change in an environmental condition to which the instrument is subjected.

2. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent position is associated with indicia indicating a fewer number of available uses than indicia associated with the current position.

3. The instrument of claim 2 , wherein the subsequent position indicates one fewer available uses than the current position.

4. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the driven input device comprises a rotatable disc.

5. The instrument of claim 4 , wherein the indicator comprises visual indicia on the rotatable disc, wherein the visual indicia are on a lateral sidewall or a planar face of the disc.

6. The instrument of claim 5 , wherein the visual indicia comprise a series of integer numbers.

7. The instrument of claim 6 , wherein the series comprises a series of consecutive integer numbers.

8. The instrument of claim 6 , wherein the series comprises a series of non-consecutive integer numbers.

9. The instrument of claim 5 , wherein the visual indicia comprise a graph indicator.

10. The instrument of claim 5 , wherein:

the instrument comprises a housing in which the transmission mechanism is located;

the housing comprises an aperture; and

the visual indicia are visible through the aperture.

11. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the driven input device comprises a locking mechanism configured to maintain the indicator in a given position of the plurality of consecutive positions on the condition the driven input device is not driven by the external drive mechanism.

12. The instrument of claim 11 , wherein:

the instrument comprises a housing in which the transmission mechanism is located, the housing comprising a plurality of notches, and

the locking mechanism comprises a plurality of flexural members engageable with the notches.

13. The instrument of claim 12 , wherein the flexural members further comprise cam surfaces engageable with the external drive mechanism to deflect the plurality of flexural members into a disengaged state with the notches in the housing.

14. The instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a state-change element transitionable between a first state and a second state in response to a predetermined change in the environmental condition.

15. The instrument of claim 14 , further comprising a counter mechanism operably coupled to the state-change element, the counter mechanism being incrementally movable in response to transition of the state-change element from the first state to the second state.

16. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a user-accessible storage device configured to store and provide information regarding a number of changes in environmental conditions to which the instrument has been subjected.

17. A medical device comprising:

a first indicator moveable through a first plurality of positions; and

a second indicator movable through a second plurality of positions;

wherein each position of the first plurality of positions is associated with a unique indicia of a number of available uses remaining on the medical device; and

wherein each position of the second plurality of positions is associated with an occurrence of a change in an environmental condition to which the medical device is subjected.

18. The medical device of claim 17 , wherein the change in the environmental condition is a change in temperature during an autoclave cycle.

19. A device for recording occurrence of a change in an environmental condition to which a medical instrument is subjected, the device comprising:

a state-change element transitionable between a first state and a second state in response to a predetermined change in the environmental condition;

a counter mechanism operably coupled to the state-change element, the counter mechanism being incrementally movable in response to transition of the state-change element from the first state to the second state; and

a user-accessible storage device operably coupled to the counter mechanism, the user-accessible storage device being configured to store and provide information representing a number of transitions of the state-change element.

20. The device of claim 19 , wherein the state-change element comprises a temperature-responsive element.