Wireless devices highlight list of life-saving technologies

A mere quarter-century after David Letterman popularized the format, Forbes magazine has become enthralled with the top-10 list. This time, the venerable business mag takes on life-saving technologies, and profiles entrepreneur Jim Sweeney, CEO of IntelliDot, a San Diego-based startup that wants to expand beyond its current line of barcode readers for medication labels and move into RFID to help hospitals improve patient safety.

"In Sweeney's vision, nurses and patients armed with wireless devices or tags could synch up with each other to make sure patients are prepped for the correct surgical procedure and that babies go home with the right parents. The new system would continue to monitor patient drug doses and interactions--drug errors are a major cause of death in hospitals--and even prompt nurses to wash their hands," Forbes reports.

Other wireless devices in the top 10 include a "talking" defibrillator, a pill-like ingestible gastrointestinal monitor, a radio-frequency-based catheter and a smart insulin pump.

To learn more about these cutting-edge technologies:
- read the Forbes story
- see the magazine's top 10 picks in this slideshow