Needle-guidance systems, devices, and method thereof including RFID technology
A needle-guidance system is disclosed including single-patient equipment, multi-patient equipment, and an RFID reader-writer. The single-patient equipment can include a vascular access device (“VAD”) having a needle and an RFID tag. The RFID tag can be incorporated into the VAD or packaging for the VAD. The console can be configured to automatically start needle tracking for a clinician on an integrated display screen of the console after receiving RFID-tag data from the RFID tag and processing with a processor of the console instructions of needle-tracking software provided by memory of the console for the needle tracking. The RFID reader-writer can be configured to read the RFID-tag data from the RFID tag and write additional RFID-tag data to the RFID tag. The RFID reader-writer can be provided with the packaging for the VAD or the multi-patient equipment. A method of the needle-guidance system is also disclosed.
1 . A needle-guidance system, comprising:
single-patient equipment including a vascular access device (“VAD”) having: a needle including a magnet or a magnetizable region about a distal-end portion of the needle configured for magnetically tracking the needle near or in a patient; and
a radiofrequency identification (“RFID”) tag incorporated into the VAD or a packaging for the VAD;
multi-patient equipment including a console optionally having a number of ports including an RFID-reader port, wherein the console;
is configured to automatically start needle tracking for a clinician on an integrated display screen of the console after receiving RFID-tag data from the RFID tag, validating compatibility of the VAD with one or more additional medical devices or a particular percutaneous procedure, and processing with a processor of the console instructions of needle-tracking software provided by memory of the console for the needle tracking;
is configured to simultaneously store in a device database of the console, identifying information for the VAD from the RFID-tag data as well as starting and stopping timestamps for calculating dwell time for the needle of the VAD; and
includes a reporting algorithm configured to report on the integrated display screen a rate of unique VADs used with the console over one or more periods of time from the device database; and
an RFID reader-writer configured to read the RFID-tag data from the RFID tag and write additional RFID-tag data to the RFID tag, the RFID reader-writer provided with the packaging for the VAD or the multi-patient equipment, wherein:
the RFID-tag data includes needle characteristics of the needle, the needle characteristics selected from magnetic strength of the magnet, geometric length of the magnet, magnetic length of the magnet, and magnetic-alignment parameters of magnetic relating offsets of a magnetic-field axis to a physical axis; and
the additional RFID-tag data includes a timestamp for each date and time the RFID-tag data is read from the RFID tag including a starting timestamp and a stopping timestamp.
2 . The needle-guidance system of claim 1 , wherein the RFID-tag data is encrypted.
3 . The needle-guidance system of claim 1 , wherein the needle characteristics are further selected from needle length, needle gauge, and needle bevel.
4 . The needle-guidance system of claim 3 , the console is configured to correctly identify the needle from the needle characteristics, accurately guide insertion of the needle into the patient, and display for the clinician a location of the needle in the patient on the integrated display screen.
5 . The needle-guidance system of claim 3 , wherein the console includes a catheter-determination algorithm configured to select a catheter of an appropriate gauge for use with the VAD in accordance with the needle characteristics.
6 . The needle-guidance system of claim 1 , wherein the console includes a use-enforcement algorithm configured to enforce a predefined maximum number of uses of the VAD.
7 . The needle-guidance system of claim 6 , wherein the predefined maximum number of uses of the VAD is a single use of the VAD.
8 . The needle-guidance system of claim 6 , wherein the console is configured to automatically stop the needle tracking upon exceeding the predefined maximum number of uses of the VAD.
9 . The needle-guidance system of claim 1 , wherein the console includes a patient database configured for associating the VAD with an active patient profile for the patient by way of the RFID-tag data.
10 . The needle-guidance system of claim 1 , wherein the RFID reader-writer is provided in a magnetizer tray of the packaging for the VAD, the magnetizer tray including an RFID-reader port configured to be connected to the RFID-reader port of the console by a cable.
11 . The needle-guidance system of claim 10 , wherein the magnetizer tray is configured to magnetize the magnetizable region of the needle while reading the RFID-tag data from the RFID tag.
12 . The needle-guidance system of claim 1 , wherein the RFID reader-writer is a handheld RFID reader-writer provided with the multi-patient equipment, the handheld RFID reader-writer including an RFID-reader port configured to be connected to the RFID-reader port of the console by a cable.
13 . The needle-guidance system of claim 1 , wherein the RFID reader-writer is an internal RFID reader-writer of the console provided with the multi-patient equipment.