Tattoos have long served as fashion statements,but a small number of Americans are now relying on them for a more practical,potentially lifesaving purpose: to warn first responders about important medical conditions. Some medical tattoos are being used to take the place of bracelets that commonly list a persons allergies,chronic diseases or even end-of-life wishes. Bracelets are nice,but something as strong as a tattoo . that is a strong statement, said Dr. Ed Friedlander,a Kansas City pathologist who has No CPR tattooed in the centre of his chest,where a paramedic would see it. Friedlander,60,got the tattoo to emphasise his decision to forgo CPR if his heart stops. Medical tattoos dont appear to carry much legal weight. Its unclear whether an ambulance crew racing to treat a gravely ill patient could honour a request such as Friedlanders based on the tattoo alone. But the markings do offer a simple and permanent way to give rescuers important health details. Melissa Boyer,of Nashville,Michigan,wore bracelets for years to identify her as a diabetic,but she kept losing or breaking them. The 31-year-old decided months ago to get a 3½-inch tattoo on her left forearm that includes the medical symbol and identifies her as a Type 1 diabetic. It also declares her allergies to penicillin and aspirin. The American Medical Association does not specifically address medical tattoos in its guidelines. But Dr. Saleh Aldasouqi,an endocrinologist at Michigan State University,hopes that might change. Aldasouqi,who has written about the tattoos,has seen them among his diabetic patients and feels they are becoming so popular that the medical profession needs to help guide their development. My intention has been to bring this issue to the surface so that medical organisations can have a say in that, he said. When you just Google it,youre going to find hundreds of stories and discussions,but no medical say. It would be helpful,for instance,if the tattoos were uniform or placed in the same area of the body so responders would know where to look,he said. My perspective is that we as physicians need to be involved, he added. Aldasouqi says patients and doctors should discuss the idea beforehand. If one of his diabetic patients sought a tattoo,Aldasouqi would recommend using a licensed tattoo artist and carefully controlling blood sugar during the procedure.
