The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Joe Fahy today describes how 59-year-old Kenneth Jones has wireless technology to thank for an improved quality of life. A device implanted in Jones' chest sends data wirelessly (via Bluetooth) to a tabletop hub in his home, which then sends data directly to his doctors over a telephone line.

Jones' doctor, Srinivas Murali of the Allegheny General Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, says the device helps doctors detect changes earlier than they otherwise could. The technology is particularly useful for patients in rural areas.

Murali says doctors are often in the dark about what happens to patients when they're at home -- but he says the new wireless devices help doctors "recognize changes in patients' conditions before they get sick enough to pick up the phone."

"A flashing light every few days on Mr. Jones' device, produced by Guidant Corp., part of Boston Scientific Corp., also tells him that he needs to answer several questions about his health status, such as whether he is tired or has shortness of breath," Fahy writes. "That information, too, is sent on to the medical team."