How Jump Drives Could Save Lives

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 03 Apr 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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They're small, portable and powerful - and now the jump drives you use in your computer might be used to save lives. In a unique program, doctors at Ohio State University are now loading these tiny drives with vital information that could help heart patients in an emergency.

After studying travel and tourism in college, Mandi Bone has turned her degree into her passion. Mandi and her family have traveled all over North America - and they've done so in spite of Mandi's medical challenges.

"My aortic valve is mechanical. I have a pacemaker and a patch that was put in to replace a hole in my heart," says Mandi.

Medical issues like those might keep some heart patients from venturing too far from home, but not Mandi. She says no matter where she goes, she feels confident because of the tiny USB jump drive she carries with her. It stores huge amounts of information about her heart condition.

"We usually include their most recent clinic visit, ultrasounds of their heart, heart catheterizations and, in some instances, if it's important, we may have images of their heart," says Dr. Curt Daniels, a cardiologist at Ohio State University Medical Center.

Dr. Daniels and his staff came up with the idea of using the jump drives. Daniels says the medical history of some heart patients is very complex, and if they ever find themselves needing medical attention in another city or country, every minute matters. That's where the jump drive can help. Any doctor, anywhere in the world, can simply plug it into their computer to answer any questions they might have.

"What heart surgeries have they had? How should their heart really be arranged, and how strong or weak is their heart? Do they have valve problems? Is that part of their history? Having that information right away, we believe, will improve medical care for our patients," says Daniels.

As for any privacy issues, doctors tell their patients to guard their jump drives just like they would their driver's license or social security card. Experts say carrying medical information with you does carry some risk. However, they believe in an emergency, having that information at the doctor's fingertips would outweigh the risks. Having the jump drive is already improving Mandi's life. She says she now plans her vacations by following her heart - instead of worrying about it.

Ohio State University