Dutch doctors implant SMS-capable pacemaker
The medical community seems to be infatuated with SMS, judging from the recent spate of applications they've devised for the messaging system (okay, so two items isn't a spate, but let's see what they come up with next). The latest application is an SMS-enabled pacemaker that can automatically send messages to a cardiologist's cellphone, allowing the doctor to monitor a patient's condition. The unit was developed by Dutch manufacturer Biotronik, and the first implant was performed at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. We're all for this kind of monitoring, but we remain a bit skeptical that SMS is the right way to do it. As anyone who has received a text message hours after it's been sent will tell you, SMS may not necessarily be the best way to transmit life-and-death info.
