Patient ID Tag May Prevent Wrongful Surgeries

The SurgiChip(TM) radio frequency identification (RFID) lag from SurgiChip Inc. of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, is the first surgical marking device approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The RF tag is affixed to a patient like an adhesive bandage, and ensures that doctors perform the correct surgery, on the correct site, on the correct person. Thousands of patients are killed each year due to wrongful surgeries.

Designed by an orthopedic surgeon, the SurgiChip is a small computer chip programmed with the date of surgery, the patient's full name, the surgical site (right arm, left leg, etc.), a description of the operation to be performed, and the surgeon's name. The chip can be programmed during a preoperative outpatient visit, in the emergency room, or on the hospital floor. A nurse or physician then scans the chip with an RFID reader, and the patient reviews the information to be sure it is correct.

The chip is scanned again on the day of surgery before the patient is sedated. If correct, the chip is applied to the skin where the incision is to be made. Since the chip is left in place during transport to the operating room, while an anesthetic is being administered, and while the patient is positioned for surgery, the chance of error is diminished.

SurgiChip estimates that the patient tag package, which consists of the tag, scanner, printer, and proprietary software that could be downloaded by each hospital, will cost a few thousand dollars.

Visu www.surgichip.com for more information.