Modern healthcare can no longer be imagined without the use of medical instrumentation and computer systems. Recently, computerization trends are becoming more and more active, as this allows for the rapid collection, processing and storage of all necessary information about the patient. Medical instrumentation and computer systems are precisely responsible for this and its state management. In modern devices, in fact, the transition from recording analog and measuring devices to digital devices has already taken place.
Classification
The composition of medical instrumentation and computer systems today include microprocessors, portable personal computers or microcomputers. Such devices have wide functionality, as well as flexible software.
The classification of medical instrumentation and computer systems is carried out according to functionality. In particular, research and clinical systems are distinguished, as well as multifunctional, specialized and complex. We will talk about each of them in more detail.
Clinical medical instrumentation and computer systems include those that are designed to perform a strictly defined range of relevant medical techniques. Among their advantages, it should be noted that they are limited, since they make it possible to simplify the work of the staff as much as possible, and availability for paramedical workers.
Research medical instrumentation and computer systems (MPCS) are based on a wide range of analytical, control, design and visual tools that allow you to implement all kinds of techniques that have a research or clinical purpose. To work with such software for medical instrumentation and computer systems, creative thinking and high professional qualifications are required.
Specialized or single-function MPKS are designed to carry out one specific type of study, for example, electrocardiography. Multifunctional systems are capable of carrying out several types of research simultaneously, while complex systems provide automation of a specific medical task. These are the types of MPKS used in medical practice.
Also, systems are divided into several varieties according to their purpose. The following can be distinguished:
- functional diagnostics;
- analysis of medical data and images;
- monitoring the patient's condition (these include monitor systems);
- laboratory diagnostics;
- biotechnological systems of prosthetics and replacement of key functions of the human body;
- therapeutic effects.
Functional diagnostics
Instrument-computer systems in medicine play a large role. They provide significant assistance in the treatment of patients. In particular, medical instrument-computer systems of functional diagnostics help to study the respiratory system, circulatory system, nervous system and the brain, sensory organs.
All kinds of X-ray studies, for example, ultrasound, computed tomography, thermal imaging and radionuclide studies, are also included here.
Using medical instrumentation and computer systems of functional diagnostics, it is possible to significantly increase the speed and accuracy of processing information received about the patient's condition. The available indicators of functional diagnostics are determined, inter alia, by the measurement method. These are biometric indicators of direct measurement, indicators of indirect and conversion measurement.
The hardware software of medical instrumentation and computer systems includes the collection of electrocardiogram analysis systems. This includes a device for picking up electrical signals, a bio-amplifier. They affect the patient with sound, light and electric signals, which allow you to study the body's response to external stimuli.
Monitor systems
The task of medical instrumentation and computer monitor systems is to determine the patient’s condition as quickly as possible, to constantly monitor him in the intensive care wards, operating room and postoperative ward.
In this situation, the ability to quickly diagnose critical situations, to identify and correct emerging violations, to predict the development of the patient’s condition is of great importance.
Instrument-computer systems in medicine help to perform all these functions. As a rule, monitoring uses apparatus for measuring blood pressure, temperature, respiratory rate, minute volume of blood circulation, gas content in the blood, and an electroencephalogram and an electrocardiogram are indispensable. One of the main features of medical instrumentation and computer systems is the availability of visualization of the results of rapid analysis, which can be obtained in real time.
Modern monitor systems that are currently used in domestic clinics have a number of important qualities. Here are the main ones:
- Accumulation of information about the patient due to registration of measurements of his physiological parameters. At the same time, subjective errors that may be made by personnel can be eliminated.
- Analytical processing by the computer of data that helps to give an objective assessment of the patient’s condition, helps the doctor with relevant recommendations on the methods and types of treatment.
- Computer assessment of the patient's condition by its physiological parameters. By analyzing their dynamics, it is possible to provide an objective forecast of the patient's condition.
- Combining data into a single network to create a common base for the full operation of the entire hospital.
Monitoring
Medical instrument-computer systems can be disassembled by monitoring, analyzing their varieties.
One of the main ones is operational monitoring. Such a monitor is directly designed to monitor the patient's condition in automatic mode. For example, during anesthesia or surgery. At the same time, the ability to control its physiological parameters - heart rate, diastolic and systolic pressure, oxygen content in arterial blood is of great importance. The preparation of the corresponding protocol of anesthesia allows you to automatically generate all the research results that are sent to the head of the department to monitor the condition of all patients. Automatic control of the artificial respiration apparatus, dropper, counterpulsator and pacemaker is possible. In this case, the system includes a device that converts the code into a control signal.
When you are asked, select the main components of a medical instrument-computer system, it is worth mentioning cardiac monitoring. It is used during emergency care. Ambulance crews have such a cardiomonitor for early diagnosis of angina pectoris, coronary syndrome, sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack.
In the intensive care unit, monitoring patients helps to monitor their well-being when they are in serious condition. Each patient’s place is equipped with a bedside monitor, which is connected to a central data collection station.
Control of electrophysiological parameters is carried out in a daily mode. This is an ECG recording, a measurement of blood pressure, which allows you to reflect the real picture of the disease. For this, it is necessary to constantly monitor vital indicators. Recently, special recording devices have appeared that analyze and record ECG due to the built-in microcomputer.
Telemetry of electrophysiological data is an assessment of electrophysiological signals coming from a patient, even if he is geographically remote.
Individual monitoring of the key parameters for the functioning of the human body is to conduct ECG registration using a device that the patient wears independently in accordance with the instructions received from his attending physician. This allows you to constantly monitor the patient’s condition, promptly adjust the therapy, adapt the person to work and household loads.
By monitoring the integral state of the physical systems of stationary patients, physiological indicators such as electrocardiograms, photoplethysmogram, rheogram, surface temperature, and blood pressure can be monitored simultaneously.
The software of computer-instrument systems allows not only processing and collecting information, but also creating standby screens, accumulating brands, and adjusting the scale of displayed signals. Due to high-quality software, it is possible to automatically collect data on changes in any parameters, analyze them, and predict the possible development of the disease.
Specifications
Medical support (MPKS) is the ability to conduct automatic diagnostics in the process of providing care. It is carried out in direct contact with the patient.
The main characteristics of medical instrumentation and computer systems include touch color screens that can display up to 12 curves. Measuring heart rate parameters, they are also able to track heart rate, pneumogram, blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature, cardiac output.
All this allows you to work with fundamentally different groups of patients. In this case, calculators are used that allow you to calculate the dose of drugs, the possibility of moving the patient's data. Medical instrumentation and computer systems include equipment equipped with sound and visual alarms of three levels. In combination with the ability to use up to ten profiles and individual settings, all this significantly improves the quality of professional assistance to the patient.
Of great importance is the possibility of publishing data to a single station for holding consultations and medical meetings in especially complex and non-standard situations. The so-called central station allows you to monitor the status of the basic parameters of life with the help of information quickly obtained from medical monitors.
Ways to process data and images
If you are asked on the test or advanced training exam, select the main components of the medical instrument-computer system, you must also talk about the data and image processing system. They are necessary for careful analysis, visualization, long-term storage of test results and tomographic studies. All this greatly simplifies the work of doctors and nurses.
Workstations are usually equipped with the ability to reproduce medical images in 2D and 3D.
In 2D mode, the specialist has the opportunity to improve the quality of visualization by directly controlling the intensity scale. For example, when you want to get a more contrasting image of certain details. You can also suppress noise by filtering images, subtract and add one or more images, organize the subtraction mode, working with contrasts when it is necessary to isolate blood vessels against the background of other tissues. Finally, it is important to conduct statistical measurements, including making graphs of the histogram of intensity and profile.
When working with 3D images, the list of possibilities is expanding significantly. In this case, it turns out that medical instrumentation and computer systems are designed to simultaneously work with several images at once, even with different modalities, selecting objects in a gray scale data array, reconstructing arbitrary sections, making cutouts, turning the array and segmenting an object, scrupulous measurement of the volumes of the smallest objects representing great importance.
Automation of the processes of processing, obtaining, archiving and providing access to such information should be carried out by hospitals that are equipped with a department of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, thermal imaging, ultrasound, radioisotope diagnostics, as well as carry out other significant studies.
To ensure long-term storage of images of medical value, it is recommended to create centralized digital archives that are served by several medical organizations at once. These digital archives are integrated into a single system of healthcare institutions. At the same time, management systems for the rehabilitation and treatment of patients should be used. These include intensive care systems, artificial organs and prostheses, which are created on the basis of microprocessor technology.
Management system objectives
When managing the treatment process, one of the main tasks is the most accurate determination of the quantitative parameters of activity, stabilization of the initially formulated parameters with a constantly changing state of the patient's body.
At the same time, automated systems are designed to control the state of the body exclusively for medicinal purposes. They help with the restoration of physiological systems, in the natural functioning of various organs. At this stage, it is important to maintain them in a normal state.
The systems used for such intensive treatment are divided into two classes. The first is programmable systems, and the second is closed control.
Program management systems are needed to implement various therapeutic effects. For example, equipping with computers, physiotherapy temperature, devices for infusion of drugs, heart-lung machines.
In closed systems, more complex medical instrumentation and computer systems are used. They perform the tasks of monitoring the patient's condition, developing technologies for therapeutic effects. In this case, the patient has a real opportunity to receive current information about the functioning of his internal organs. This allows him, with the help of a certain volitional effect, to achieve a certain therapeutic effect in the case of certain pathologies.
When applying the general scheme of the system of therapeutic effects, the following components are used:
- source - an apparatus of influence that directly generates all kinds of physical factors;
- the main device - it includes the elements of the device that are responsible for the transfer of physical effects on patients. These are sensors, electrodes, emitters, inductors;
- the control unit selects the operating mode of the source of exposure and regulates everything that happens;
- a control unit is needed to collect important information about the basic physiological characteristics of the patient - pressure, respiration, temperature, EEG, ECG;
- finally, a microprocessor or personal computer processes all this information, giving an assessment of the state of the organism as a whole or of its individual systems and organs.
The key factors that influence the patient may be specific drugs that the patient receives through special dispensers. They can even be added to droppers. In the part of devices, the feedback element is the patient himself, who receives information about the state of his internal organs, and then with the help of volitional effort, tries to achieve their normal and stable functioning.
As such signals can be used tactile, auditory messages or visual images.
Clinical diagnosis
Medical instrument-computer systems for laboratory diagnostics allow complex diagnostic procedures based on the study of the biomaterial of the human body. , , , , , , -, , , , , .
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All this allows you to speed up and objectify the process of data processing by a doctor, to clarify and identify the presence of pathologies, to maximize the accuracy of diagnostic processes. In particular, the use of digital technology helps to make the measurements as accurate as possible, to create and store research results for a long time, to transmit information to a distance if necessary, consultations. Special research analysis programs allow you to process incoming data.
All this brought medical equipment to a fundamentally new level, which allowed to increase the efficiency of diagnostic methods, treatment, control and prognosis of severe patients.