BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Biomedical engineering (BME) is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology

for healthcare purposes (e.g. diagnostic or therapeutic). 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 advance healthcare treatment, including diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy. TYPES OF BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
1. Cardiovascular Technology - includes all drugs, biologics, and devices related with diagnostics and therapeutics of cardiovascular systems. 2. Neural Technology - which includes all drugs, biologics, and devices related with diagnostics and therapeutics of the brain and nervous systems. 3. Orthopaedic Technology - which includes all drugs, biologics, and devices related with diagnostics and therapeutics of skeletal systems.

ELECTRODES An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte or a vacuum). The word was coined by the scientist Michael Faraday from the Greek words elektron (meaning amber, from which the word electricity is derived) and hodos, a way. Electrodes are used to provide current through nonmetal objects to alter them in numerous ways and to measure conductivity for numerous purposes. BLOCK DIAGRAM OF A MEDICAL INSTRUMENT

A medical machine consists of signal conditioning, a monitor and data storage. The input of the machine is the output of an electrode or a transducer. The output of the machine is then displayed as a biosignal such as EEG, ECG, EMG, arterial blood pressure, or oxygen saturation in blood. In some cases, the machine sends a stimulus signal to the human body to control a particular physiological process. The patient is the person who receives medical care. Electrodes are connected to the patients body parts. The electrodes, sensors, and transducers are devices used to detect the electrical and biomedical signals. Electrodes detects electrical signal from the surface of the body, and a variety of sensors detect biomedical signals, such as pressure, flow, or temperature. Signal conditioners are devices used to filter and amplify biomedical signals. These signals are generally week and noisy so they must be amplified and filtered of unwanted frequencies. The process is called signal conditioning and uses special electronic devices and circuits called signal conditioner circuits. Displays are devices used to display biomedical signals. These devices include monitors, video screens, and scopes (Cathode ray tubes or CRT). Feedback stimulus concerns muscle and organ stimulation. Once the biomedical signals are signal conditioned and interpreted, some of the electronic circuits can be activated to generate signals that in return can stimulate the muscles or organs as feedback stimuli. At times, this external stimulus is required to determine the patients response.

BIOMEDICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING Biological signal (bioelectric signal), such as Electrocardiogram (ECG), Electroencephalogram (EEG) and Electromyogram (EMG) are produced in analog form. In this form, the signal is defined as a continuum of time and amplitude. In order to analyze such signals on a digital computer, the signal must be transformed into a signal that is defined only at a particular set of time and amplitude. In short, it is converted to digital signal.
Electrocardiogram Signal Electroencephalogram Signal

Electromyogram Signal

These signals can be acquired at a body surface through the use of surface electrodes. The instrument in acquiring the signals for the three is the same and only varies in amplification and filtering settings. In electrocardiogram, when the heart contracts and relaxes, ionic currents are produced at the surface of the heart that in turn produce a voltage at the body surface. The peaks (waves) in the signal can be related to the contraction and relaxation of the atria and ventricles. The amplitude of the largest peak is approximately 1 mV, and the accepted frequency range for the ECG is between 0.05 and 100 Hz. The electroencephalogram is produced at the surface of the scalp due to the nerve cell activity in the brain and shows a continuous oscillating electrical activity. The EEG has an amplitude of approximately 100 uV and a frequency range of 0.05 and 100 Hz. The electromyogram is produced at the body surface due to the electrical activity of contracting muscles immediately beneath the surface. The EMG amplitude can be as high as 5 mV and can have a frequency content as high as 10,000 Hz. MEDICAL DEVICES A medical device is an instrument, apparatus, implant, in vitro reagent, or similar or related article that is used to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease or other conditions, and does not achieve its purposes through chemical action within or on the body (which would make it a drug). Whereas medicinal products (also called pharmaceuticals) achieve their principal action by pharmacological, metabolic or immunological means, medical devices act by other means like physical, mechanical, or thermal means. Medical devices are intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Classification of Medical Devices 1. Class I devices present for minimal potential for harm to the user and are often simpler in design compared to Class II and Class III. Devices include tongue depressors, bedpans, elastic bandages, examination gloves, and hand-held surgical instruments and other similar types of common equipment. 2. Class II devices are subject to special controls in addition to the general controls of Class I devices. Special controls may include special labeling requirements, mandatory performance standards, and post market surveillance. Devices in this class are typically non-invasive and include x-ray machines, PACS (Picture Archive and Communication System), powered wheelchairs, infusion pumps, and surgical drapes. 3. Class III devices generally require premarket approval (PMA) or premarket notification (510k), a scientific review to ensure the devices safety and effectiveness, in addition to the general controls of Class I. Examples include replacement heart valves, hip and knee joint implants, silicone gel-filled breast implants, implanted cerebellar stimulators, implantable pacemaker pulse generators and endosseous (intra-bone) implants. Types of Medical Device 1. Medical Imaging Medical/biomedical imaging is a major segment of medical devices. This area deals with enabling clinicians to directly or indirectly "view" things not visible in plain sight (such as due to their size, and/or location). This can involve utilizing ultrasound, magnetism, UV, other radiology, and other means. 2. Implants An implant is a kind of medical device made to replace and act as a missing biological structure (as compared with a transplant, which indicates transplanted biomedical tissue). The surface of implants that contact the body might be made of a biomedical material such as titanium, silicone or apatite depending on what is the most functional. In some cases implants contain electronics e.g. artificial pacemaker and cochlear implants. Some implants are bioactive, such as subcutaneous drug delivery devices in the form of implantable pills or drug-eluting stents. 3. Bionics Artificial body part replacement is just one of the things that bionics can do. Concerned with the intricate and thorough study of the properties and function of human body systems, bionics may be applied to solve some engineering problems. Careful study of the different function and processes of the eyes, ears, and other the way for improved cameras, television, radio transmitters and receivers, and many other useful tools. These developments have indeed made our lives better, but the best contribution that bionics has made is in the field of biomedical engineering. Biomedical Engineering is the building of useful replacements for various parts of the human body. Modern hospitals now have available spare parts to replace a part of the body that is badly damaged by injury or

disease. Biomedical engineers who work hand in hand with doctors build these artificial body parts. Common Biomedical Devices Artificial Cardiac Pacemaker

A pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker) is a medical device that uses electrical impulses, delivered by electrodes contracting the heart muscles, to regulate the beating of the heart. The primary purpose of a pacemaker is to maintain an adequate heart rate, either because the heart's natural pacemaker is not fast enough, or there is a block in the heart's electrical conduction system. Infusion Pumps

An infusion pump infuses fluids, medication or nutrients into a patient's circulatory system. Because they can also produce quite high but controlled pressures, they can inject controlled amounts of fluids subcutaneously (beneath the skin), or epidurally (just within the surface of the central nervous system- a very popular local spinal anesthesia for childbirth).

Heart-Lung Machine (Cardiopulmonary bypass or CPB)

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a technique that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery, maintaining the circulation of blood and the oxygen content of the body. The CPB pump itself is often referred to as a heartlung machine or "the pump". Cardiopulmonary bypass pumps are operated by perfusionists. CPB is a form of extracorporeal circulation.

Implants

An implant is a medical device manufactured to replace a missing biological structure, support a damaged biological structure, or enhance an existing biological structure. Medical implants are man-made devices, in contrast to a transplant, which is a

transplanted biomedical tissue. The surface of implants that contact the body might be made of a biomedical material such as titanium, silicone or apatite depending on what is the most functional. X-Ray Generator

An X-ray generator is a device used to generate X-rays. It is commonly used by radiographers to acquire an x-ray image of the inside of an object (as in medicine or nondestructive testing) but they are also used in sterilization or fluorescence. Mechanism The heart of an X-ray generator is the X-ray tube. Like any vacuum tube, the X-ray tube contains a cathode, which directs a stream of electrons into a vacuum, and an anode, which collects the electrons and is made of copper to evacuate the heat generated by the collision. When the electrons collide with the target, about 1% of the resulting energy is emitted as X-rays, with the remaining 99% released as heat. Due to the high energy of the electrons that reach relativistic speeds the target is usually made of tungsten even if other material can be used particularly in XRF applications. Ultrasound Machine

Ultrasound is an oscillating sound pressure wave with a frequency greater than the upper limit of the human hearing range. Ultrasound is thus not separated from 'normal' (audible) sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is approximately 20kilohertz (20,000 hertz) in healthy, young adults. Ultrasound devices operate with frequencies from 20 kHz up to several gigahertz. Ultrasound is used in many different fields. Ultrasonic devices are used to detect objects and measure distances. Ultrasonic imaging is used in both veterinary medicine and human medicine. In the nondestructive testing of products and structures, ultrasound is used to detect invisible flaws. Industrially, ultrasound is used for cleaning and for mixing, and to

accelerate chemical processes. Organisms such as bats and porpoises use ultrasound for locating prey and obstacles. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), or magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to investigate the anatomy and function of the body in both health and disease. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields and radio waves to form images of the body. The technique is widely used in hospitals for medical diagnosis, staging of disease and for follow-up without exposure to ionizing radiation.

References: http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=TJzATQekjjQC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=block+diagram+o f+biomedical+instrumentation+system&source=bl&ots=eCprPbdOS&sig=Z16FLOP9Yhh0csBpECgU3FkWfhM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Vur2UoLnKumtiAemioG4 Cg&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=block%20diagram%20of%20biomedical%20in strumentation%20system&f=false http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=7Fxb2TlCbYC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_engineering http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical http://www.cit.cmu.edu/companies/strategic_initiatives/biomedical.html