The EKG, Untangled

Another recent MDEA winner (I get the feeling they hand out a lot of these awards) is the LifeSync Wireless electrocardiogram:

Through its unique and patented design, the LifeSync® System eliminates lead wires and trunk cables between patients and bedside, 12-lead or transport ECG monitors, allowing freedom of movement throughout the hospital. Using highly-sophisticated Bluetooth® wireless technology, the LifeSync® System employs two-way radios to collect and transmit patient ECG and respiration data to the hospitals existing ECG monitors. The LifeSync® System can be implemented easily without costly changes to a hospital’s infrastructure.
The LifeSync® System is designed to save critical nurse time by eliminating the need to detach and reattach lead wires when transporting patients, and also facilitates patient mobility and ambulation. The system provides the opportunity for enhanced patient comfort and may reduce the risk of cross contamination from the reuse of improperly cleaned lead wires. The LifeSync® System is indicated for continuous monitoring, diagnostic 12-lead ECG and stress testing.

One small box, the “patient transceiver,” is strapped to the arm, with collated, disposable leads around the precordium. The patient transceiver sends data via bluetooth to the “monitor transceiver”, which can plug into any old 12-lead EKG machine or telemetry system.
Pretty cool! This could go a long way toward eliminating tangled leads, and the false alarms, messy reads, and inevitable delays that come with them.
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