Losing Telemetry Transmiters and Pulse Oximeter Probes Down the Laundy Chute?
April 27, 2010
Active RFID and enterprise visibility systems are being discussed everywhere, but for many customers there’s lower hanging fruit using passive RFID. Asset rescue applications that facilitate the efficient recovery of valuable portable biomedical equipment and accessories from being accidentally discarded in hospital laundry or trash can be deployed very quickly and reliably at reasonable cost. Two commonly cited examples of such items are cardiac telemetry transmitters and related leadsets and reusable pulse oximeter probes.
Ongoing loss and replacement of these durable assets can become a large cost burden on hospitals and biomedical equipment suppliers, with even small-to mid-size hospitals reporting the loss of dozens of units per year. The typical replacement cost of a cardiac telemetry transponder can range from $2,500 to $7,500; pulse oximeter probes are in the $100-$200 range. Protecting these assets with a passive RFID-based Asset Rescue will reduce or eliminate this loss and associated financial impact.
In this application, assets at risk of accidental discard are tagged and protected with passive RFID tags. One or more fixed RFID readers are deployed at places in the facility where laundry is processed (either in-house or dispatch to a laundry service) and trash is handled. The system is parameterized with the RFID tag identities of the tagged assets (either individually or by a range of identities, depending on user application requirements). One or more detection zones are logically defined at the laundry and trash egress doorways and routes.
Interested in finding out how you cut down on loss? Read our Mobile Asset Rescue for Biomedical Equipment Solutions Paper.
