Method for monitoring object flow within a surgical space during a surgery

A method for monitoring needle consumption in a surgical space during a surgery includes:

• accessing a sequence of images captured by a set of optical sensors arranged in the surgical space;
• in response to detecting a needle package in a first image, in the sequence of images, of an inventory field in the surgical space, recording entry of a first set of needles in a sterile packaged condition at the inventory field at a first time;
• for each needle in the first set of needles:
• in response to detecting a needle driver in a second image, in the sequence of images, of the inventory field:
• scanning the second image for the needle proximal a distal end of the needle driver;
• and
• in response to detecting the needle proximal the distal end of the needle driver in the second image, recording the needle in a sterile retained condition in the inventory field at a second time;
• in response to detecting the needle driver in a third image, in the sequence of images, of an operating field in the surgical space:
• scanning the third image for a first set of features representative of a patient;
• and
• in response to detecting the first set of features in the third image, recording the needle in a used retained condition proximal the patient at a third time;
• and
• aggregating locations and conditions of the needle into a path of the needle during the surgery.

A method for tracking needles in a surgical space during a surgery includes:

• accessing a sequence of images captured by a set of optical sensors facing an inventory field within the surgical space;
• scanning the sequence of images for a set of needle packages and a set of needles;
• in response to detecting entry of a first needle package, in the set of needle packages, into the inventory field in a first image, in the sequence of images:
• recording entry of the first needle package, labeled as sterile, into the inventory field at a first time;
• and
• incrementing a sterile packaged needle counter for the first needle package according to a first quantity of sterile needles associated with a type of the first needle package;
• and
• in response to detecting removal of a first needle, in the set of needles, from the inventory field in a second image, in the sequence of images:
• incrementing a deployed needle counter at a second time succeeding the first time;
• and
• decrementing the sterile packaged needle counter;
• in response to detecting return of the first needle into the inventory field in a third image in the sequence of images:
• labeling the first needle as uncontained at a third time succeeding the second time;
• and
• tracking the first needle in a subsequence of images, in the sequence of images, succeeding the third image;
• and
• in response to detecting insertion of the first needle into the needle package in a fourth image, in the sequence of images, succeeding the subsequence of images:
• associating the first needle with the needle package;
• relabeling the needle package as unsterile;
• incrementing a contained used needle counter for the first needle and by a value of the sterile packaged needle counter at the fourth time;
• and
• clearing the sterile packaged needle counter for the needle package.