Something to watch over you

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http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1848328,00.asp

Watching Over You

08.17.05

Watching Over You

Total posts: 1

By Karen Jones

Round-the-clock medical monitoring for at-risk patients could soon be as easy as a flick of the wrist. The MDKeeper, from Tadiran Spectralink, is worn like a watch and integrates various medical sensors, a Siemens GSM/GPRS radio module, and a built-in cellular speakerphone and processing unit to measure and transmit data to caregivers.

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Designed for those who need continuous monitoring, such as cardiac and circulatory disease patients, disabled seniors, and the chronically ill, the MDKeeper measures vital signs, including pulse rate, cardiac rhythm (ECG or EKG), and blood oxygen levels. It can either store the data and transmit it to a medical center at a later time or, in the case of an emergency, transmit the information "immediately in real time using the built-in cellular phone while sending an alarm to a caregiver," says Ofer Atzmon, business development manager at Tadiran.

The MDKeeper combines medical and cellular technology uniquely. "Unlike with other remote-monitoring products today," says Atzmon, "MDKeeper users never need to hook up any electrodes to their body, open their shirt, or dial any phone numbers. It can detect certain critical situations or deterioration in physiological condition and send automatic alerts in real time."

Final testing will be completed this year, with the launch expected early in 2006. The price will vary, Atzmon says, according to service packages and insurance coverage.