What's the deal with the chip implants?

Question

So I've been reading about breast implants before heading to a consultation with my surgeon and found out that one brand of implants heavily advertises they have chips inside their implants. Why is that useful? Does it improve the experience or result of the procedure? Are there any situations where this kind of devices should be avoided? Can i go though airport security with those implants?

Andrew Wolfe, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  The implants you are referring to are made by Motiva, and the chip is called Q Inside or Qid.  It is a 9mm long (think grain of rice) RFID device that is encoded with a unique identifying number for the implant at the time of manufacture.  The number is recorded at the time of your surgery and reported back to the manufacturer.  The number can be read from outside the body with the right device and an authorized physician could contact Motiva to find out what implant you have.  In essence, it is a redundant record of your implant in case that information was lost by you and/or your surgeon in the future.  It is a separate FDA approved device and is quite safe.  It does not show up on an airport scanner, it cannot "track" you, and it carries no identifying information about you, only a 15 digit number.  It would show up on a MRI but is MRI compatible.
The Q Inside technology is optional in Motiva implants, so you can choose it if you want it or skip it if it freaks you out.  I am an FDA investigator for the US Motiva clinical trial and the majority of my patients chose to include the chip, FWIW.  The Q Inside technology will be available in the U.S. next year -- the Motiva implants we are getting right now are shipping without it.

John L. Burns Jr., MD · Answer

Motiva offers an implant with an integrated microchip to make tracking the implants easier.  The chip is no palpable and adds an extra layer of protection as the implants are easy to identify in case there is an issue or a replacement is needed.

Guler Gamze Eren, MD · Answer

Hi from Istanbul!Motiva ergonomix implants carry a chip inside and it can give signals to a reader device to see the size, diameter and serial number of the implants, it is like the identity card of the implants. The chip is not produced to improve results, it will be helpful when you lose the information about your implants.

Peter D. Geldner, MD · Answer

RFID transponders are everywhere. They are often in your concert tickets, credit cards, clothing, and now breast implants. Currently, we track breast implants with registries and cards. What if the system fails, and you want or need to know what you have inside yourself. With RFID, you bring a reading device to the breast and the implant details are known. I think that is a terrific idea and every implant manufacturer should do the same. Congratulations to Motiva. BTW, TSA will never know.

What's the deal with the chip implants?

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