Biomedical engineering
It is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the
medical field.
This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It
combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with
medical and biological sciences to improve healthcare diagnosis,
monitoring and therapy.
Much of the work in biomedical engineering consists of research
and development, spanning a broad array of subfields. Prominent
biomedical engineering applications include the development of
biocompatible prostheses, various diagnostic and therapeutic medical
devices ranging from clinical equipment to micro-implants, common
imaging equipment such as MRIs and EEGs, biotechnologies such as
regenerative tissue growth, and pharmaceutical drugs and
biopharmaceuticals.
Bioinstrumentation System
The instrumentation is defined as science of using measurements.
So, the bioinstrumentation system is the measurement system that
measures a quantity, property, or condition which is associated with the
human body or the physiological processes of human beings, it can be a
bioelectric signal, such as those generated by muscles or the brain, or a
chemical or mechanical signal that is converted to an electrical signal.
A schematic representation of a typical bioinstrumentation system is
shown in (Fig. 1).
Figure 1: Basic instrumentation systems using sensors to measure a signal with data
acquisition, storage and display capabilities, along with control and feedback.
Sensors are used to convert physical energy into electric outputs.
The outputs from these sensors are analog signals, i.e. continuous signals,
which are sent to the analog processing then to digital conversion block,
where these signals are amplified, filtered, conditioned, and converted to
digital form.
Once the analog signals have been digitized and converted to a form that
can be stored and processed by digital computers.
Basic instrumentation systems also include output display devices
that enable human operators to view the signal in a format that is easy to
understand. These displays may be numerical or graphical, discrete or
continuous, and permanent or temporary. Most output display devices are
intended to be observed visually, but some also provide audible output,
e.g. a beeping sound with each heart beat. In addition to displaying data,
many instrumentation systems have the capability of storing data.
With the invention of the telephone and now with the Internet,
signals can be acquired with a device in one location, perhaps in a
patient’s home, and transmitted to another device for processing and/or
storage. This has made it possible, for example, to provide quick
diagnostic feedback if a patient has an unusual heart rhythm while at
home. It has also allowed medical facilities in rural areas to transmit
diagnostic images to tertiary care hospitals so that specialized physicians
can help general practitioners arrive at more accurate diagnoses.
Two other components play important roles in instrumentation
systems:
The first is the calibration signal. A signal with known amplitude and
frequency content is applied to the instrumentation system at the sensor’s
input. The calibration signal allows the components of the system to be
adjusted so that the output and input have a known, measured
relationship. Without this information, it is impossible to convert the
output of an instrument system into a meaningful representation of the
input.
Another important component, a feedback element, is not a part of all
instrumentation systems. These devices include pacemakers and
ventilators that stimulate the heart or the lungs. Some feedback devices
collect physiological data and stimulate a response, e.g. a heart beat or
breath, when needed or are parts of biofeedback systems in which the
patient is made aware of a physiological measurement, e.g. blood
pressure, and uses conscious control to change the physiological
response.
