|
PATIENT'S HEARTBEAT MONITORED VIA MOBILE PHONE AND INTERNET
(New Zealand Press Association Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Auckland, March 4 NZPA - A new procedure allowing doctors to monitor a patient's heartbeat via the Internet has been introduced in New Zealand.
Waikato Hospital has begun using the technology, called Home Monitoring, which connects a pacemaker or similar device with a computer through the mobile phone network.
The patient's data is beamed by phone to a monitoring centre where it is analysed and passed on to the patient's doctor via Internet, fax or text message.
The first New Zealander to benefit from the technology is Tauranga panelbeater Neville Hawker, 66.
Waikato Hospital cardiologist Dr Spencer Heald said the device could reduce the number of clinic visits.
It could also alert specialists to problems earlier than before, he said in a statement.
``The best thing about the device is that it will assist patients in rural areas who, because of distance, find it difficult to get to the hospital and their specialist,'' he said.
``The home monitoring will allow for us to see if there are any concerns without patients even coming into the hospital.''
Mr Hawker said the procedure had given him peace of mind and allowed him to continue to leave a relatively normal life.
``Without this, I wouldn't be going back to work, riding my mountain bike with my wife or keeping up with classic cars, which are a passion of mine,'' he said.
``I now have peace of mind. I can even attend my daughter's wedding next week in Havelock North, knowing that my doctor can monitor how I'm responding to the pacemaker.''
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in New Zealand and about 1500 New Zealanders a year receive a pacemaker or similar device.
In Mr Hawker's case, for at least the next six months, a signal would be sent from his heart to a mobile phone he would carry around with him, the New Zealand Herald reported.
The data would be beamed via satellite to biomedical technology company Biotronik in Germany before being sent back to New Zealand over the Internet and to his doctor's laptop at Waikato Hospital.
Biotronik, which manufactures the system, said it cost about $25,000.
NZPA AKL rl ob
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
TMCnet LOGIN
Webinars
