Xerafy’s UHF RFID tags used in Mexico City’s Ixtapaluca Hospital to manage surgical instruments

Xerafy’s RFID tags will track 11,000 surgical instruments and devices, improving productivity, reducing infection risk, and eliminating misplaced instruments. Ixtapaluca Hospital (HRAEI) in Mexico City is a 246-bed hospital with 13 surgical rooms, serving a community of five million people.

UHF RFID tags deployed

The Development and Operation of Hospital Infrastructure of Ixtapaluca (DOIHI), the asset management organisation at the hospital, will use Xerafy’s UHF RFID tags, as part of its RFID tracking solution, provided by Xerafy’s partner, HTK (HTK Smart Identification), to track and manage surgical instruments and other hospital’s assets.

DOIHI is a division of the construction firm, GIA, and provides surgical instruments and devices to HRAEI, in addition to maintaining and sterilising the tools, providing asset management services.

Autoclavable XS and XXS tags

Xerafy’s autoclavable XS and XXS tags are attached to each surgical instrument

Xerafy’s autoclavable XS and XXS tags are attached to each surgical instrument, with the unique ID number encoded to that tag paired in the HTK software, with details about the tool to which it was attached.

“We urgently needed a solution for the high cost of managing our surgical instruments and operation workflow,” said Jorge Mario Lopez Arango, DOIHI’s General Manager.

He adds, “HTK and Xerafy have delivered that to us. With this application, HRAEI becomes the first hospital in Mexico and Latin America, to use RFID technology in surgical kits.”

RFID technology helps enhance efficiency

“HRAEI has embraced RFID across its operations, to improve efficiency and reduce costs,” said Gabriel Haddad, HTK’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), adding “Xerafy’s autoclavable tags are a perfect fit for the surgical instrument tracking application, which will not only improve productivity, but also enhance patient safety.”

Manual processes used to account for surgical instruments and devices, sometimes result in miscounts or missing items. An automated surgical instrument tracking solution will help eliminate the time that staff spends in manually counting instruments, prior to surgeries, after procedures, and for maintenance tracking.

Hand-held RFID readers to scan the tags

The hospital staff uses hand-held RFID readers to scan the tags and communicate the data to Android tablets

The hospital staff uses hand-held RFID readers to scan the tags and communicate the data to Android tablets, running the HTK application. The tags are read during sterilisation, during the building of surgical kits and prior to each procedure. In the event of an error, the tablet displays an alert to the hospital’s staff.

Previously, the staff has to un-wrap the tools, so as to visually count and inspect them, prior to surgery. Now, the data can be readily collected via RFID in seconds and the instruments can remain in their sterilised packaging.

Adhesive and lining for the tags

Xerafy’s tags were selected for this application, because of its expertise and experience in RFID for surgical instruments tracking for the healthcare sector. Xerafy’s autoclavable tags are the world’s smallest RFID tag, with the ability to withstand the harsh environment of the autoclaves, used to sterilise the instruments.

Xerafy also provided expertise in offering the adhesive and lining for the tags. Prior to the pilot, HTK and DOIHI autoclaved the tags 1,000 times to ensure their performance. Once the deployment is completed, Xerafy’s tags will be attached to 97 percent of the surgical instruments and devices in use at the hospital.