WEDNESDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDayNews) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave consenting adults the ability to carry vital medical records wherever they go by voting Wednesday to approve an implantable computer chip the size of a grain of rice.
The VeriChip, now used to track wayward pets and livestock, should make it easier to speed care to emergency patients and others, Florida-based Applied Digital Solutions said in asking for the agency’s approval last July.
More than 1,000 of the scannable chips have been implanted in Mexican patients, the Associated Press said. A unique serial number makes it easy to pull up the patient’s blood type, allergies, prior treatments, and other key medical information.
Using a syringe, the chip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that lasts less than 20 minutes and requires no stitches, according to the AP.
Visit Applied Digital’sWeb siteto learn more about the technology.
