Electronics design for biomedical instrumentation

(Master degree in Electronics Engineering and Biomedical Engineering)

Applications of electronics technologies in medicine and biology:

• Biomedical instrumentation (traditional and innovative) based on acquisition

(sensors), amplification (circuits) and processing (systems) of electrical signals with
biological origin

• Imaging systems for medical diagnostic employ detectors (solid state), integrated
circuits (VLSI) and processing systems (ex. DSP) for the acquisition and the
processing of large quantities of information

• Bioelectronics: advanced and multi-disciplinary applications of combined electronics

and biology/medicine (bio-labs on chip, acquisition/stimulus of cellular electrical
signals, electronics prosthesis)

Electronics Design for Biomedical Instrumentation

Prof. Carlo Fiorini 1
 Purpose of the course:
provide a basic knowledge of the most significant use of sensors, circuits,
electronics systems in the biomedical instrumentation

Tipologies of addressed topics

Conventional and advanced Systems for medical imaging

instrumentation for the analysis of based on the use of radiation
signals of biological origin (X and gamma rays)

The method

Recall of the basic principles of the instrument/technique

→ analysis and design of sensors and electronics circuits (analog and digital)
employed in the instrument
and a special look on…
applications of microelectronics to biomedicine

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 Course program:

I part: Electronics for acquisition and processing of biological signals

• Origin of biological signals. Electrodes and sensors.
• Circuits for the amplification and filtering of signals.
Application: the electrocardiograph.
Amplifier for bio-potentials: noise, insulation, rejection of common-mode
and interferences, ... design examples. Instrumentation amplifiers.
• Implantable bio-medical devices:
The pacemaker: working principles, batteries, amplifiers,
pulse generators, telemetry.
Special topics on the Pacemaker, low-power amplifiers for bio-signals
(articles on course web site).
• Selected applications of microelectronics to bio-medicine:
prosthesis for artificial vision.

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II part: Detectors and electronics for medical imaging systems
• Basics on medical imaging. Radiographic and tomographic systems.
Figures of merit. Examples of applications.
• Interaction of X and γ radiation with matter. X generators . Radioactive emitters γ
and β+.
• Fundamentals on detectors for X and γ rays. Detectors for medical imaging.
The Gamma Camera.
• SPECT and PET detection systems and electronics. PET-TOF.
• Electronics for digital radiography.
• Electronics for medical imaging:
- integrated front-end for detectors, electronics noise
- examples of analog processing circuits
- circuits for timing (PET)

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Informations about the course
Lecturer: Prof. Carlo Fiorini
tel: 3733
email: carlo.fiorini@polimi.it
web: www.deib.polimi.it → docenti → Fiorini
receivability: Wed 14.30-16.30 or on appointment
Course org. : lectures + exercises + seminars
Course material: slides of the lectures available on web (with password)
in addition: articles, application notes, texts.
Bibliography: Books for consultation:
- Medical Instrumentation: Application and Design, J.G.Webster, John Wiley and Sons, 1998
- Design of Cardiac Pacemakers, J.G.Webster, IEEE, available on web
- Radiation Detection and Measurement, 3rd ed., Glenn Knoll, John Wiley and Sons
- The Physics of Medical Imaging S.Webb, Taylor & Francis, 1988
- Medical Imaging: Principles, Detectors and Electronics, Krzysztof Iniewski, Wiley, 2009
(red: I part, blue: II part)

Exam: Oral exam only. In the first two dates (Feb./Mar.) with
possibility of choice of the date in a list with about 20 days,
for the other dates, in the official day only.

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 Other opportunities during the course

• Complements of electronics topics for biomedical students

• organize your own dates and times (3-4 lessons of 2 hours each). Topics:
• the bipolar transistor (BJT)
• current mirrors, differential stage, cascode stage, CMOS operational amplifiers
• basics on electronics noise (sources, equivalent noise generators)
• Opportunity of one practice session in laboratory (topic to be defined)
• Not mandatory
• Limited number of groups of 3-5 students each, for this year.
• Opportunity for Thesis
• List of topics for thesis on the web
• General presentation of the thesis in November
• call for thesis starting in the II semester (March 2015) already open

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 The course is held in English:

Be patient and please do not esitate to ask if you

do not understand my fluent ‘Oxford’ English

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 Biomedical instrumentation

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 The biological potentials

voltmeter
microelectrode
cell placed outside
membrane the cell

microelectrode
placed inside
the cell

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 The action potential

Na+ channels open

Other Na+ channels open
Na+ channels closed
K+ channels open
K+ channels closed
Membrane potential (mV)

Threshold

Time

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 The bio-potentials in the heart

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 Pacemaker potential (mV)

T Heart rate = 1
T
II
0

Slope 0
Threshold potential
–60 IV
–85
Time Maximal diastolic potential (MDP)

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 Measurement of bio-potentials

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 The electrocardiograph
I aVL
– + +
–

II – – III aVR + – aVF

+ + – +

V1 – WCT R

WCT – V3
S–T
segment
0.11–0.16 s
T
+ P
U
+

+ V5 J
P–R Q S–T interval
interval S
0.18–0.2 s
Q–T interval
– 0.28–0.43 s
WCT

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 Instrumentation amplifier

(V+- V-) (1+2R2/R1)

V+

V+

V-

V-

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 Example: rejection of common mode

Vcm = idb RLv/ (1+2Rf/Ra)

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 Electronics for implantable prosthesis (pacemaker)

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 Sensing unit
Lead

Power source

Control
unit
Pulse generator

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 Pacemaker low-power (1.5V, 100nA) readout circuits (1)

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 Pacemaker readout circuits (2)

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 Switched capacitors amplifiers

1 2 Cf
V2 ∆Vi = V1-V2

I I = ∆Vi×f×Ci
Ci -
Vo
V1 + Reff = ∆Vi/I = 1/f×Ci
1 2
nT–T/2 Vo = I × 1/jωCf
nT–T nT = ∆Vi×f×Ci/jωCf
ON
1 OFF

2 ON
OFF
Vo C 1
= i
T ∆V i Cf jωT

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 Pulses generators (with V > Vsupply)
(a)

+Vbat + +Vbat +
Vbat IL
Cp Co Vout
0 0 -

Rbat
Phase I

(b) +Vbat

+Vbat
Vout=+2Vbat
+Vbat 0 +
+ IL
Vbat Cp Co Vout
0
-Vbat -
-Vbat
Rbat -Vbat
Phase II

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 Artificial vision

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 Multiple Unit Artificial Retina
Chipset (MARC)

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Electronics Design for Biomedical Instrumentation
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Electronics Design for Biomedical Instrumentation
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 Diagnostic systems for medical imaging based
on X and γ rays

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 The X rays

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 X rays generators

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 Digital radiography

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 Detectors for digital radiography

indirect conversion direct conversion

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Electronics Design for Biomedical Instrumentation
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 Computerized Tomography (CT, Italian TAC)

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Computerized Tomography: principle
intensity

2D Object

1-dimensional
intensity horizontal
projection
1-dimensional
vertical
projection

By measuring 1D projections along different angles, it is

possible to reconstruct the 2D distribution of the object density

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Electronics Design for Biomedical Instrumentation
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 Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

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 The Anger camera

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 Positron Emission Computed Tomography (PET)

coincidence
window (10ns)
(electronic collimation)

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Electronics Design for Biomedical Instrumentation
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 PET Images of Breast Cancer Patient

Brain
Heart

Bladder

Metastases Normal Uptake in

Shown with Other Organs
Green Arrows Shown in Blue

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 CT PET CT+PET

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 Electronics for the acquisition and processing of the signals

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 amplitude ⇒ energy, position

threshold

signal arrival time ⇒ timing (e.g. for coincidence)

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 The Peak Stretcher

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 Timing techniques (for PET)

leading edge

zero crossing

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