The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that surgical site infections have racked up annual costs of $3.3 billion and increased costs of hospitalization by more than $20,000 per admission. Previously, studies have found that excessive movement and operating room traffic may lead to increases in surgical site infection. In particular, the shuffling of personnel during procedures can increase airborne microorganism, lead to accidental contamination, and ultimately be a factor in surgical site infections.
Echo is a hands-free, motion-triggered real-time microphone technology that allows for seamless communication between the surgeon and circulating staff while minimizing contamination. Echo features one Arduino Uno R4, 1 Ultrasonic Sensor, 1 SY-M213 High Sensitivity Sound Microphone Sensor, 1 LED RGB, and 3 330 ohm Resistors. The ultrasonic sensor measures the distance of the object from the sensor. Once the ultrasonic sensor detects an object, the LED turns green, indicating that the microphone is ready for communication. The LED will then change to blue when the SY-M213 sound detection sensor picks up a value above the set threshold, confirming that the message is being recorded. Currently, the prototype uses a low-cost sound detection sensor, but in future versions, it will be replaced with a high-quality Bluetooth microphone that can transmit recordings across multiple Echo devices.
The goal is to scale Echo by incorporating amplification and speech-to-text features, reducing the need for repeated instructions and cutting down unnecessary movement near surgical sites. Once triggered, the microphone will pick up auditory input and will amplify the sound to operating room staff while converting audio waves to visual text for display. This minimizes the need to repeat instructions and decreases unneeded traffic near open surgical sites. When not triggered, the microphone does not collect nor amplify normal operating room conversation, complying with HIPAA regulations. The slim design of Echo can easily be placed on loupe frames or clipped onto scrubs. Echo aims to minimize surgical site infections, one word at a time.
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