# US 10,499,831 B2 · Systems and methods for medical procedure monitoring > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,499,831 B2 - Document ID: US10499831B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/735,868 - Filed: 2015-06-10 - Published: 2015-12-31 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2014-06-11 - Assignees: University of Houston System; The Methodist Hospital - Applicants: University of Houston; The Methodist Hospital - Inventors: Marc Garbey; Albert Huang; Brian James Dunkin; Barbara Lee Bass - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10499831B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/061: {Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body (A61B1/00158 takes precedence)} - A61B 5/6889: {Rooms} - A61B 34/20: Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis - A61B 90/92: coded with colour - A61B 90/98: using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders - G06Q 10/0639: Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations - G06Q 10/06398: {Performance of employee with respect to a job function} - A61B 90/30: Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure - A61B 2034/2057: {Details of tracking cameras} - A61B 2034/2065: {Tracking using image or pattern recognition} - A61B 2090/065: {for measuring contact or contact pressure} - A61B 2090/0803: {Counting the number of times an instrument is used} - A61B 2090/0804: {Counting number of instruments used; Instrument detectors} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Systems and methods for monitoring medical procedures. Particular embodiments relate to monitoring medical procedures performed in operating room environments through the use of various types of sensors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A medical procedure monitoring system comprising: a computer readable medium comprising a plurality of standards for a medical procedure; a plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors are located in an operating room and each sensor is configured to: detect a parameter of a component used in the medical procedure; and provide an output based on the parameter of the component detected; and a plurality of lights to indicate a proper position of a medical instrument on an instrument table; a computer processor configured to: receive the output from each sensor; and compare the output from each sensor to a standard from the plurality of standards for the medical procedure, wherein: the medical procedure monitoring system is configured to detect the parameter of the component used in the medical procedure and provide the output based on the parameter of the component detected in real-time; the plurality of sensors comprises a light sensor to detect when the medical instrument has been removed from the instrument table; the output from each sensor automatically provides an n-tuple (T1, T2, . . . , Tn) of positive real numbers for the medical procedure to a mathematical model, where the n-tuple (T1, T2, . . . , Tn) indicates the time at which each specific targeted event occurs and represents a time portrait of the medical procedure; and the medical procedure monitoring system is configured to: register the time portrait of the medical procedure in a data set; compute an average standard time portrait of the medical procedure and a dispersion around the average time portrait; and automatically classify the medical procedure as standard or nonstandard based on the time portrait of the medical procedure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the time portrait is correlated to a patient outcome after surgery. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the output provided by each sensor is a binary output. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors are sealed from an atmospheric environment in the operating room. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a light brightness sensor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprises force-sensing resistor strips. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a force-sensing resistor panel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a split core current sensor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the video camera is configured to detect changes in ambient light intensity. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 9 wherein the changes in ambient light intensity indicate a differentiation between open and minimally invasive procedures. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a video camera. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the video camera is directed to a ventilator to detect movement of a bellows. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the video camera is directed to detect a specific color. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The medical procedure monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprise radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors to capture personnel movement in a perioperative space.