BIOTRONIK gets go-ahead for GSM-based implant monitoring system
The folks at BIOTRONIK have been trying to make medical implants behave a little more like cellphones for some time now, and it looks like they're still keeping at it, with the EU recently green-lighting its latest home monitoring system that lets physicians keep tab on patients at home. As with its other systems, this one relies on the GSM network to send vital information to the patient's physician (with a base station acting as a go-between), but it now boasts an "intelligent traffic light system" that promises to let physicians quickly monitor the status of a number of different patients, and even customize the alerts via the web if they like. The system also promises to work with a whole range of different implants, including pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices, and the company expects it to be widely available in early 2009, though a lucky few will be able to start using it this month.[Via MedGadget]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Boarderwoot @ Oct 2nd 2008 1:43PM
"So what you're saying is that your wife is abusive and you want a divorce?"
"Yes your honor, she made a cellphone call to my bionic leg and told it to kick me in the ass."
octoberasian @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:51AM
Haha! Best comment.
chuck @ Oct 2nd 2008 1:45PM
Great, that's all I need. To have someone able to hack my pacemaker...
Chuckles McGee @ Oct 2nd 2008 2:00PM
Oh. Tracking of THAT type of implant... where's the fun in that?
Brad @ Oct 2nd 2008 3:01PM
So you're telling me that doctors, with their dozens of years of schooling and experience, are now going to make the decision on whether or not to check in on a patient based on a "traffic light" system?
Well, that's just freakin' wonderful.
Frankenstein Black @ Oct 2nd 2008 4:42PM
Hum, wonder what Dick (Oswald Cobblepot) Cheney’s IP address is ;^p
UnixSystemsEngineer @ Oct 2nd 2008 6:14PM
Is this where we are supposed to make implant monitoring jokes?
loosely_coupled @ Oct 2nd 2008 11:06PM
this is misleading. These devices do NOT have cellular radios embedded within them, they are simply using the cellular network as a go between, although I assume they are using some proprietary short-distance wireless tech to connect the device to the cellular base station.
jackrabid @ Oct 2nd 2008 11:47PM
That will be great if there's even a doctor available to pay attention to it
Kyle L. @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:37AM
I can see this becoming an episode of Law and Order Criminal Intent, somebody activating the automatic defibrillators, and killing somone. :)
Soon everything even medical care is going into the cloud.