A dozen cheap junk-box parts... Assembled, they go for $500.00

-------------- I know it's better than it was, and I know that the immediate alleviation of symptoms in the case of ACS is dramatic, but it is not quite yet shown to reliably extend life. I admit to wanting it if exigency overtakes me, but I know the facts about it, that it is not yet proved longevity-wise. Good luck.

-Steve

Isn't this the same argument used for not using ICD's on all cardiac arrythmia/heart attack cases ? That is, the cost of the device is so high that its use is only justified within certain bounds (younger patients). IOW they let patients die purely for financial reasons - this is NOT ethical.

If bypass surgery was performed *before* symptoms arose (regular scans after a certain age, or depending on other factors like HBP) it might save money in the long run by reducing the number of cardiac invalids.

If a surgical intervention results in good health for 10 years if done early but costs $60,000 say, this works out as a saving if done early on rather than after permanent damage is done to the heart , rendering the patient unable to work or contribute to society (and a greater cost to the taxpayer further down the line).

Comments ?

(My $0.02 worth)

---------------------------------- I agree if the technology works that it should be equally available, my question was whether it could be said to work.

-Steve

PIC 12F675 based hearing aid ?

Feed analogue input into one of the pins, process, and output on two pins to piezo transducer including internal filtering to compensate for non-linear performance of the piezo.

-A