Austrian RFID specialist RF-iT Solutions has partnered with medical devices company Biolitec AG to provide RFID-based middleware for biolitec’s laser systems. The system, called You-R Secure, ensures that doctors are unable to accidentally reuse the probes used in the minimally invasive procedures performed by the laser devices.

With the You-R Secure system, based on RF-iT Solutions’ You-R Open middleware, each laser probe is tagged with a uniquely encoded RFID tag. When a new probe is to be used in a laser system, the system must recognize the tag’s electronic signature in order to operate. If the signature, or authenticity certificate, shows the probe has been used previously or is otherwise invalid, the system will not function with that probe.

The tags are encoded at Biolitec production centers in Europe and North America, based on authenticity certificates generated at the Biolitec headquarters. At this time, the probes are also inspected, and if there are any quality issues, the You-R Secure system can invalidate the codes, rendering the probes unusable.

The system offers an assurance of safety for patients, as well as benefits for the users, since reuse of probes can cause both bad clinical results and increased wear on the laser system. The system also enables Biolitec to trace batches of probes, which is necessary for many types of medical supplies.