Sep 21, 2005 7:13 pm US/Eastern
High-Tech Defibrillators Save Lives
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
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Ernie Grieco is the first patient at Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center to have the new high-tech defibrillator implanted in his chest.
CBS4
A local hospital has just become the first in the northeast to implant a new high-tech defibrillator, which is the first device that can actually send data to a patient's doctor.
Given all the recent concerns about defibrillators malfunctioning, the innovative technology is giving at least one local patient new peace of mind.
Ernie Grieco has had four heart attacks and suffers from a life-threatening arrhythmia.
Grieco simply didn't want to take any more chances. That's why he decided to become the first patient at Caritas St. Elizabeth's medical Center to have a new defibrillator.
The high-tech defibrillator implanted in Grieco's chest allows doctors to check out his heart rhythm at anytime and from just about anywhere.
"The doctor can monitor me 24 hours a day," said Grieco. "It's like having a doctor at my side all the time."
The device uses a portable cell phone to continuously transmit EKG and other data to Grieco's doctor through the Internet and will actually page or e-mail him immediately, if something goes wrong.
"The physician has a lot of info," said Dr. Michael Orlov, of Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. "The patient has comfort and the sense of being connected to the doctor all the time."
If you're traveling or caught in a natural disaster, your defibrillator will still work.
Several patients who had the devices implanted before Hurricane Katrina were still able to transmit data from their defibrillators to their doctors even though they had to be evacuated from their homes.
Grieco feels more comfortable knowing that. "If something should happen to me, I wouldn't have to wait for someone to rescue me. It could be a lifesaving device," he said.
Experts say the device would be ideal for patients who travel a lot or move south for the winter, because their doctors could still monitor them remotely from Massachusetts.
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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