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What
is SURGICHIP®?
Why is SURGICHIP® necessary?
What information is encoded on the chip?
Why is an RFID reader necessary?
Does SURGICHIP® guarantee
no errors will be made?
Is
the SURGICHIP® implanted?
Is SURGICHIP® approved
by the FDA?
Is SURGICHIP® approved
by the JCAHO?
Can SURGICHIP® be
used for emergency surgery?
What is SURGICHIP®?
SURGICHIP® is
an FDA approved, patented procedure which uses
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology
to help prevent wrong-site, wrong-patient, and wrong-procedure
surgery.
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Why is SURGICHIP® necessary?
Despite
the mandated JCAHO Universal Protocol™,
surgical teams occasionally forget to perform a “time
out”, remember to do it only after surgery
has begun, or forget to read either the operative
consent or the patient’s wristband. The surgical
site is occasionally not marked or the wrong site
inadvertently marked; the operative consent may be
erroneous or that of another patient. SURGICHIP® is
a backup system to help avoid these types of
potential errors. It is not likely that the
surgical team will forget to read the chip
since it is placed on the intended incision
site. Since the information on the chip is
verified by the patient preoperatively, it
is unlikely that incorrect information will
be encoded on the chip. After the chip has
been placed on the proper site, usually with
the assistance of the patient, it is removed
immediately prior to the prep and drape;
therefore,
the possibility of inadvertent switching of
chips is minimized.
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What information is encoded on the chip?
The
names of the patient and surgeon, the surgical
site and side, a description of the surgical
procedure, the date of surgery, the patient’s
birth date, the medical, record number and
gender.
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Why is an RFID reader necessary?
Although
the patient’s
name and surgical site and side are printed
on the face of the tag, it is frequently not
practical to print the surgical procedure description
because of space constraints. These longer
descriptions can, however, be readily encoded
on a computer chip. Additionally, having an
RFID reader present in the OR makes it less
likely for the entire surgical team to forget
to check the pertinent information prior to
surgery. For verification purposes, the RFID
reader makes an electronic record of who read
the tag, when it was read, and when the “Time
Out” was performed.
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Does SURGICHIP® guarantee
no errors will be made?
No. SURGICHIP® may
be compared to automobile seat belts. If it is
used consistently and properly, it will significantly
diminish the risk of wrong-site, wrong-procedure,
and wrong-patient errors.
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Is the SURGICHIP® implanted?
No.
It is attached to the skin using a biocompatible,
hypoallergenic adhesive. It is removed prior to the
final sterile prep.
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Is SURGICHIP® approved
by the FDA?
Yes.
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Is SURGICHIP® approved
by the JCAHO?
Yes. Although
the JCAHO is not able to endorse devices such
as SURGICHIP®, it has approved the
use of SURGICHIP® when used in addition to the
JCAHO Universal Protocol™ “Time Out”.
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Can SURGICHIP® be
used for emergency surgery?
Yes. A printer
may be installed in the emergency room or on
the hospital floor to allow a SURGICHIP® to
be created for emergency surgery. SURGICHIP® should
not be used in the most urgent cases if the time necessary
to produce a chip might compromise the safety of the patient.
The use of SURGICHIP® for
emergency cases is recommended since the risk of wrong-site
surgery is significantly higher than it is in elective
surgery.
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