MBARARA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE

AND TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

END OF YEAR 1 WORKSHOP PRACTICE REPORT

NAME: MUSIIMENTA CATHELINE

REGISTERATION NUMBER: 2016BME006PS

COURSE NAME: WORKSHOP PRACTICE

COURSE CORDINATORS: MR. WASWA WILLIAM

MS. SHILAH

SUBMISSION DATE;
14TH AUGUST 2017
Introduction

Biomedical engineers bridge between engineering and medicine. Thus a branch of engineering that
deals with the study of living tissue in relation to engineering. It bonds mechanics and biology. In a
hospital setting , a biomedical engineer may perform the following roles

Roles of a biomedical engineering unit in a hospital.

• Biomedical engineers in the hospital service medical devices and help in making sure that they
give correct measurements. This is because giving of wrong results is dangerous to the patient.
• Biomedical engineers make designs for medical equipments.
• Biomedical engineers are also responsible for procurement and purchase of medical devices.
• They also train other medical practitioners how to use certain medical devices.
• They also repair damaged medical devices in the hospital.
• They also do the documenting and reports about the hospital medical devices

A medical device definition and classification

a medical device is a machine, software, electronic or anything used to prevent, diagnose, treat
illness, disease, and disability, and improve health and quality of life without altering the chemical
nature of the body. A medical device does not treat by chemical means.
Medical devices are classified by classes according to safety from electric shock;
class I -these are earthed to protect the users from electric shock.
Class II-these are double cased.
Class III- these are strictly battery operated or use low voltage.
They can also be classified according to types (those with applied parts) depending on the invasiveness
or connection to the heart into;
type B(body)-these are less invasiveness.
Type BF(body Floating)-these are more invasive.
Type CF(Cardiac floating)- these are more invasive than type BF

There are many departments/ wards at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital where a biomedical
engineer can work and these departments have some of the following devices;

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT/WARD
this is where patients who have got accidents and other emergency problems are kept such as heart
attacks are handled. This section is mainly for conditions that require immediate attention.
In this section, you may find some of the following medical devices;

OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR
Function
It is used to provide oxygen to the patient who are experiencing lack of oxygen(hypoxia).

Working principles
Atmospheric air contains 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. The oxygen concentrator absorbs
atmospheric air, it then contains a zeolite which absorbs nitrogen gas hence increasing the percentage
composition of oxygen in the air. Hence the oxygen concentrator is able to supply oxygen rich air to the
patient.
Advantages
It supplies a quick source of oxygen and can avail oxygen at any time of need.
However,
sometimes can break down and fail to supply enough oxygen composition in air due to leakages in the
tubes hence need replacement.

STETHOSCOPE

Function
it is used for listening to sounds from different body sounds.

Working principles
It contains an audio sensitive part or detector. That is a microphone and an amplifying system that
amplifies the sound so as to be heard by the user. Its middle part is made of tightly sealed rubber tubing
with an ear piece at the end.
The drum/ sound detector is delicate and any small injury to it leads to failure of sound transimission.
INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
this is a unit where critically ill patients are kept or taken care of. This unit harbours only patients with
critical conditions such as those with acute kidney failure, lung failure among others. Some of the
devices that may be found here include;

DIALYSIS MACHINE

Function
it is used as a replacement by filtering out waste from the blood of a patient who is experiencing acute
kidney failure. It works more or less like an artificial kidney
Working principle
it uses the process of diffusion. The dialysis machine has a dialyser that mimics the kidney Dialyser
The dialyser is the external filter that contains a semi-permeable membrane that separates the patients
blood from the dialysate. it is where the exchange of material between the patient's blood and the
dialysate takes place. The blood flows in one direction and the dialysate in the opposite direction
mimicking the counter current flow that takes place in the kidneys. The Dialysateis a solution that acts
as the standard solution for removal of excess waste material from the blood.

PATIENT MONITOR
Function
This device is used to monitor patient's vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, respiratory rate
and heart rate.
Work principles
it contains probes or applied parts that are connected to the patient. These detectors sense the changes
in any of the above signs. These changes are converted into electric signals which are translated into
waves or values displayed on the screen.

THEATRE DEPARTMENT
this is the place where all surgical operations are carried out. This is where all operations are carried
out. These are so of the medical devices found in the theatre.

DEFIBRILLATOR

FUNCTION
this is a device used to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to patient in case they get cardiac arrest.

Working principles
they have three modes of operation that is internal, external and synchronised fibrillation. This
defibrillator discharges current into the heart so as to correct heart arrhythmias usually delivered when
the control circuits sense the next R wave. The discharged current stimulates depolarisation of the heart
by the SAN(sino atrial node) through the atrium then spreading out through the whole heart

SUCTION MACHINE
Function
This machine has suction pressure which helps in sucking up body fluids from body tissue when
conducting an operation.
Work principles
this device has a vacuum pump which creates a region of low pressure hence forcing the fluid at areas
of high pressure to flow towards this region of low pressure. The pump is turned on and it pump air out
of the system creating vacuum which is an area of low pressure. Hence when the evacuated tube is
placed in the fluid, the fluid is sucked up by the vacuum in order for it to fill the vacuum space.

PAEDIATRIC DEPARTMENT
This is the department of the hospital responsible for handling children related diseases. The children of
0 to 13 years. The following are some of the medical devices found in this department.

PHOTOTHERAPY MACHINE

Function
it is used in the treatment of jaundice in the neonates.
work principles
blue light of wavelength 450nm stimulates the breakdown of bilirubine a protein responsible for
jaundice in children . Hence this device produces blue light which is exposed to the body of neonates
for a very long time

INFANT WARMERS

Function
it is used to maintain the temperature around premature born babies so as to prevent them from loosing
a lot of heat.
Work principles
infant warmers have a heat producing coils or source as well as a heat regulators. This heat reaches the
baby heat by radiation. This device has temperature sensors which automatically detect the baby's
temperature and either stops or continue warming the baby. Hence the device is able to maintain the
temperature around the baby more or less constant.

MATERNITY WARD OR DEPARTMENT

This department or ward caters for pregnant women and those with birth related conditions or
complications. Some of the common medical devices that may be found in this ward include;

SPO2 PULSE OXYMETER

Function
This is used to measure the concentration of oxygen in blood
Work principles
this device works on the principle that light absorption by oxyheamoglobin is different from that of
haemoglobin. Oxyheamoblobin is lighter than haemoglobin which is dark red or even blue. This de
oxygenated haemoglobin absorbs more in the infra red wavelength of about 950nm while oxygenated
has a high absorption at around 650nm of light wavelength. Therefore this device produces both red
light and infra red from one side and the detector on the opposite side measures how much of the light
in the infra red and red wavelength has been absorbed. This helps to analyse the portion of
oxyheamogline is present in the blood system.

Electrocardiograph (ECG) MACHINE

Function
This is used to monitor the electrical properties of the heart
work principle
Small voltages in millivolts appear on the skin due to the cardiac activity. These are conducted and
amplified by the ECG machine. The resultant measurements got are directly proportional to the heart's
electrical activity . These are displayed as waves on the ECGg display. It might be digital or displayed
on the paper.

CONCLUSION
we have not seen some of the devices that have been mentioned above in this report. Therefore I
recommend that we are given more practical exposure to some of these medical devices. We also need
more practical lessons on how to use some of these medical devices.
Also the classes of medical devices are dependent on the manufacturer and the same devices can be of
different classes and types.

REFERENCES
Muriel Skeet and David Fear care and safe use of Hospital equipment 2nd Edition 1998

WHO technical specifications for medical devices, Version 1.1, 2014