How A Souped-Up Version Of Google Glass Helped A Doctor Save A Patient's Life

There's a souped-up version of Google Glass called "Wearable Intelligence," and it's helping doctors in Boston save lives faster, Re/Code's Liz Gannes reports.

Wearable Intelligence was created by former Googlers and it has received financial backing from First Round Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Glass Collective. It's working on Glass-based products for professionals like doctors, news anchors and police.

The product worn by doctors strips Google's product of entertaining features like the ability to take and share photos. It replaces them with things the professionals need, like a medical dictionary and the ability to see a patient's record in the wearer's line of vision.

Gannes spoke to one emergency room doctor who felt Wearable Intelligence helped him save a patient's life. At the very least, it may have saved the patient from developing a life-long disability.

Dr. Steve Horng described a situation with a patient whose brain was bleeding. Horng was using Wearable Intelligence Glass while treating the patient. The device allowed him to quickly see that the patient was allergic to blood pressure medication without rifling through a mound of paperwork. The time he saved being able to visually pull up the patient's medical history may have made a world of difference.

"Google Glass enabled me to view this patient's allergy information and current medication regimen without having to excuse myself to log in to a computer, or even lose eye contact," Dr. Steve Horng told Gannes.