Medata News

The Memory Card Revolution
by John A. Humphrey, President, Medata Incorporated

In 1995 we introduced our first digital memory holter recorder, the CARD-IO. This unit used a 10MB PCMCIA memory card that cost $500.00. We based our designs with a projection, that within 10 years, the cost of memory cards would reduce drastically and the capacity of the cards would increase massively.

Our projection was correct. Now a 1GB memory card costs less than $20.00. In other words we went from a card that cost $50.00/MB to cards that cost less than 2 cents per MB! Now we can store a weeks worth of 3 channel ECG data on a flash card that is 1/2 the size of our original card in 1995.

In addition to the significant cost savings, there are other advantages in using digital memory cards over the previous tape recorder technology. Digital storage also provides accurate, noise free reproducable results with a fraction of the power that was used, inherently, to drive the old tape recorder motors.

So what does this mean for physicians and their patients? The following points are relevant:

1. Digital data storage provides improved and consistent data quality offering more accurate results.
2. Digital recorders are lighter and more compact and therefore more patient friendly.
3. Memory cards can be used many times without loss of data quality giving substantial cost savings.
4. Memory cards consume less power allowing recordings up to 7 days or more with smaller batteries.
5. Memory cards can download data to computers in seconds without costly interface hardware.
6. Memory cards are the same as those used in cameras and are therefore available everywhere.

Our Tracer Recorder uses up to 2GB of memory card capacity and utilizes all of the above technology points of advantage. We have come a long way since our first memory card introduction in 1995 as we continue to our efforts to provide innovative technology to our customers worldwide. The Tracer is the state of the art holter recorder now and in the future.