Wireless technology enables people to keep in touch wherever they are by transmitting text, pictures and voice. Often a cellphone is a lifesaver for someone stranded in a car that has broken down, or found themselves in some other emergency in which the cellphone is their only way to communicate their condition to those who can help.

Now at a medical center in Newark, NJ, wireless technology is being used to save lives of patients suffering a heart attack. A new system allows on-call cardiologists to receive ECGs on “smart phones” and be in touch directly with the paramedic on the scene. Before the patient has even arrived at the hospital, the cardiologist has seen the ECG and can instruct the paramedic on life-saving treatment. The ECG can even be sent to the hospital’s cath lab, and patients can be transported directly there, cutting down the door-to-balloon time, the time between arrival at the hospital and the initial inflation of an angioplasty balloon to open a blocked coronary artery.

“We have found a way to receive electrocardiograms from home, from another hospital, from our cars — anywhere we are,” said Vivek N. Dhruva, D.O., academic chief fellow in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-New Jersey Medical School, who presented the paper. “In only 4 months, we went from being in the bottom 10 percent of hospitals in the time to treatment of heart attack to being in the top 10 percent of hospitals.”

The current guideline for door-to-balloon time is 90 minutes. Using the wireless system, the UMDNJ is now averaging 73 minutes.

Transmitting ECGs to Cardiologists by Smart Phone Cuts Treatment Time in Half

270 Medicare recipients in Tennessee will soon have someone to help remind them when to take their medications. As part of a Medicare program to reduce hospitalizations, a new device called the Med-eMonitor will alert patients when it is time to take a pill.

These “smart pillboxes” will also monitor whether a patient has missed a dose or taken the wrong medication and send an alert over a standard phone line to a secure Internet site which will prompt a follow-up call from a health professional.

The Med-eMonitor is programmed with each patient’s individual schedule and alerts the patient with a sound - usually a song - when it is time to take medication.

Web-linked pillbox reminds patients to take meds

Today’s seniors are more active and adventurous than any generation previous. Every year seniors travel, seeing the country and exploring new locations. But what do you do when there is a medical emergency and you are far from home?

The Mayo Clinic in partnership with Digital Cyclone Inc, introduces medical information delivered directly to your cell phone. Mayo Clinic In-Touch is a health source on-the-go with First Aid tips and Health Alerts available at the tips of your fingers. They can also help you locate the nearest medical facility via GPS (Global Positioning System).

The service is available on all major wireless carriers including Alltel, Cingular, Sprint and Verizon. Subscription is $2.99 per month billed to your phone bill.

In any life-threatening emergency situation, the Mayo Clinic advises that people call 911 first.

Whether you or a loved one is facing the need for long-term care, the planning and choices of care services can make for some tough decisions. Since about 60% of people aged 65 and older will need some type of long-term care in their lifetimes, planning and being prepared are essential.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced a new website as a clearinghouse for information about long-term care. The site covers the definitions and costs of long-term care as well as tips on planning and the options available to pay for long-term care.

Visit the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information site and sign up to receive an “Own Your Future” planning kit. The kit is free and can be ordered or downloaded by following this link.