BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION AND IMAGING 6th SEM. ECE (R.K.

Jha)

MEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM:

Biomedical instrumentation and engineering is the application of knowledge and technology to

solve problems related to living biological systems. It involves measurement of biological signals like
ECG EMG or any other electrical signals generated in human being. Simultaneously diagnosis,
treatment, and prevention of disease in human. As the medical field is emerging , the area of
Biomedical Engineering is an expanding field. The term “Bio” is to denote something related to life.
When basic of Physics and Chemistry get applied to living things, they are named as Biophysics and
Biochemistry. So when the discipline of engineering and medicine interacts, it is called Biomedical
engineering. Biomedical instrumentation helps physician to diagnose the problems and provide
appropriate treatment to human being.

MAN INSTRUMENT SYSTEM:

Any type of exercise in engineering analysis, involves the measurement of outputs from an unknown
system as they are affected by various combination of inputs. The main object of such exercise is to
learn the nature and characteristics of the system. This unknown system is reffered as black box
having a variety of configuration for a given combination of inputs and output. The result of such an
exercise is usually a set of input output equations intended to define the internal function of the
box. These function may be relatively simple or extremely complex.

The most complex boxes conceivable is living organism especially human being. Within this box can
be found electrical, chemical, mechanical, thermal, optical, acoustical, hydraulic, pneumatic and
many other types of systems, all of them interacting each other. It also consists of a powerful
computer systems, various type of communication systems and a variety of control systems. An
attempt to measure the input and output of black box, a complicate situation arises due to none of
the input output relationship is deterministic. That is why, repeated application of a given set of
input values will not result always the same value of output. In fact, many of outputs show a wide
range of responses to a given input depending on some seemingly relevant condition whereas
others appear to be completely random and totally unrelated to any of the inputs.

The living black box creates many problems since many of the important variable to be measured
are not readily accessible to measuring devices. Some key relationship can not be determined due to
high degree of interaction among the variables in the box. Thus it is impossible to hold one variable
constant while measuring the relationship between two others variables. Sometimes it also very
difficult to identify the input and outout.

The function of medical instrumentation is to aid the medical clinician and researcher in devising the
ways of obtaining reliable and meaningful measurement from a living human being. There are some
problems which are associated with such measurement. The process of measuring should be in such
a way, which does not endanger the life of person on whom the measurement are being done and it
should not require the subject to endure undue pain, discomort or any other unreliable situations.
This means that many of the measurement technique normally employed in the non living systems
can not be applied in the instrumentation of living human being.
Apart from the said problems, there are some additional factors which create difficulty in obtaining
the valid measurement.

The factors are as follows:

1 Safety Condition.

2 The Environment of the Hospital, where the measurement are to be performed.

3 The medical personals usually involved in the measurement.

4 Ethical and legal considerations.

Some problems are being encountered in obtaining data from living organism especially human
being due to large amount of iteraction between the instruments and subject to be measure. That is
why it is necessary to consider the subject in form of human being as an integral part of the
instrumentation system. The system comprising both the Human being and the instruments used
for measurement is termed as MAN INSTRUMENT SYSTEM

OBJECTIVE OF INSRUMENTATION SYSTEM:

The basic objective of any instrumentation system generally fall into one of the following cattrgories:

1 Information gathering.

2 Diagnostic

3 Evaluation

4 Monitoring

5 Control.

Information gathering: In an information gathering system, instrumentation is used to measure

natural phenomena and other variables to aid man in his quest for knowledge about himself and the
universe in which he lives.

Diagnostic: Measurement are made to help in the detection and the correction of some
malfunctions of the system being measured. In some type of application, this type of
instrumentation may be known as troubleshooting instrument.

Evaluation: Measurement are used to determine the ability of a system to meet its functional
requirements. These may be classified as as “ proof of performance” or “ quality control test”

Monitoring: Instrumentation is used to monitor some process or operation in order to obtain

continuous or periodic information about yhe state of the system being measured.

Control: Instrumentation is some time used to automatically control the operation of a system
based on changes in one or more of the internal parameters or in the output of the system.
CLLASFICATION OF BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION:

Biomedical instrumentation may be classified in two catogries.

1 Clinical

2 Research

Clinical instrumentation is basically devoted to the diagnosis, care, and the treatment of the of
paitents whereas research instrumentation is used primarily in the search for new knowledge
pertaining to the various systems that compose the human organism. Although some instruments
can be used in both areas. Clinical instruments are generally designed to be more rugged and easier
to use. On the other hand, research instrumentation is normally complex, more specialised and
designed to provide a much higher degree of accuracy, resolution and so on. Clinical instruments
are used by the physician or nurses, whereas research instruments are generally operated by skilled
technicians whose primary training is in the operation of such instruments. The concept of the man-
instrument system applies to both clinical and research instrumentation.

Measurments in nwhichbiomedical instrumentation is employed can also be divided into two

categories: in vivo and in vitro. An in vivo measurement is one that is made on or within the living
organism itself. An example would be a device inserted into the bloodstream to measure the pH of
the blood directly.

An in vitro measurement is one performed outside the body of human being. An example of an in
vitro measurement would be the measurement of pH of a sample that has been drawn from the
body of a patient.
Component of the Man-Instrument System

Block Diagram of man instrument system

A block diagram of man instrument system is shown in fig.

The basic components of this system are the same as in any other instrument system .The only
difference is in this case the living human being considered as subject.

The main components are :

(1) Subject (Human being) (2) Stimulus (3) Transducers (4) Signal conditioning equipment

(5) Display equipment (6) Recording data processing unit (7) Control Device.

(1) Subject: The subject is human being on which the measurement are to be done. Human being is
considering as subject which make it difference from the other instrumentation systems.

(2) Stimulus: In any type of measurement, the response to some form of external stimulus is
required. Whenever responses are to be measured, instrumentation generate and present
stimulus to subject. Which is a vital part of the man instrument system. The stimulus may be in
form of visual ( a flash of light), auditory ( a tone), tactile or direct stimulation of some part of the
nervous system.

(3) Transducer: Transducer is a device, which convert one form of energy or signals to another
form. In man instrument system, each transducer is used to produce an electrical signal that is an
analog of the phenomenon being messured. The transducer may measure temperature, pressure,
flow or any of the other variables that can be found in the body but its output is always an electrical
signals. Two or more transducers may be used simultaneously to obtain relative variation between
phenomena.
(4) Signal Conditioning Equipment: The part of instrumentation systrm that amplifies, modifies, in
any other way changes the electrical output of transducer is called signal conditioning or signal
processing equipment. Signal conditioning equipment is also used to combine or relate the outputs
of two or more transducers. Thus for each item of signal conditioning equipment, both the input and
the output are electrical signals, although the output signal is greatly modified with respect to the
input. The purpose of the signal conditioning equipment is to process the signals from transducers
in order to satisfy the functions of the system and to prepare signals suitable for operating the
display or recording equipment.

(5)Display Equipment: The electrical output of the signal conditioning equipment must be converted
into a form that can be perceived by man and that can convey the information obtained by the
measurement in a meaningful way. The input to the display system is modified electrical signal from
the signal conditioning equipment. Its output is sime form of visual, audible.or possibly tactile
information. The display equipment may include a graphic pen recorder, that produces a permanent
record of data.

(6) Recording, Data processing and Data transmission Equipment: It is necessary to record measured
information for appropriate uses or to transmit it from one location to another. Equipment for these
function is an important part of man instrument system. Where automatic storage or processing of
data is required,or whwre computer control is employed, an on line analog or digital computer may
be part of the instrumentation system. The term recorder is used in two different context in
biomedical instrumentation.Graphic pen recorder is actually a display device used to produce a
paper record of analog waveform, whereas the recording equipment includes devices by which data
can be recorded for future playback as in a magnetic tape recorder.

(7) Control Device: Where it is necessary to have automatic control of the transducer, stimulus, or
any part of the man instrument system, a control system is incorporated. This system usually
consists of a feedback loop in which part of he output from signal conditioning equipment
or display equipment is used to control the operation of the system.