Bioinstrumentation

Bioinstrumentation or biomedical instrumentation is an application of biomedical engineering which focuses on development of devices and mechanics used to measure, evaluate, and treat biological systems. The goal of biomedical instrumentation focuses on the use of multiple sensors to monitor physiological characteristics of a human or animal for diagnostic and disease treatment purposes.[1] Such instrumentation originated as a necessity to constantly monitor vital signs of Astronauts during NASA's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions.[2] [dubious – discuss]

Bioinstrumentation is a new and upcoming field, concentrating on treating diseases and bridging together the engineering and medical worlds. The majority of innovations within the field have occurred in the past 15–20 years, as of 2022. Bioinstrumentation has revolutionized the medical field, and has made treating patients much easier. The instruments/sensors produced by the bioinstrumentation field can convert signals found within the body into electrical signals that can be processed into some form of output.[3] There are many subfields within bioinstrumentation, they include: biomedical options, creation of sensor, genetic testing, and drug delivery.[4] Fields of engineering such as electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, and computer science, are the related sciences to bioinstrumentation.[3]

Bioinstrumentation has since been incorporated into the everyday lives of many individuals, with sensor-augmented smartphones capable of measuring heart rate and oxygen saturation, and the widespread availability of fitness apps, with over 40,000 health tracking apps on iTunes alone.[5] Wrist-worn fitness tracking devices have also gained popularity,[6] with a suite of on-board sensors capable of measuring the user's biometrics, and relaying them to an app that logs and tracks information for improvements.

The model of a generalized instrumentation system necessitates only four parts: a measurand, a sensor, a signal processor, and an output display.[7] More complicated instrumentation devices may also designate function for data storage and transmission, calibration, or control and feedback. However, at its core, an instrumentation systems converts energy or information from a physical property not otherwise perceivable, into an output display that users can easily interpret.[8]

Common examples include:

The measurand can be classified as any physical property, quantity, or condition that a system might want to measure. There are many types of measurands including biopotential, pressure, flow, impedance, temperature and chemical concentrations. In electrical circuitry, the measurand can be the potential difference across a resistor. In Physics, a common measurand might be velocity. In the medical field, measurands vary from biopotentials and temperature to pressure and chemical concentrations. This is why instrumentation systems make up such a large portion of modern medical devices. They allow physicians up-to-date, accurate information on various bodily processes.

But the measurand is of no use without the correct sensor to recognize that energy and project it. The majority of measurements mentioned above are physical (forces, pressure, etc.), so the goal of a sensor is to take a physical input and create an electrical output. These sensors do not differ, greatly, in concept from sensors we use to track the weather, atmospheric pressure, pH, etc.[9]

Normally, the signals collected by the sensor are too small or muddled by noise to make any sense of. Signal processing simply describes the overarching tools and methods utilized to amplify, filter, average, or convert that electrical signal into something meaningful.

Lastly, the output display shows the results of the measurement process. The display must be legible to human operator. Output displays can be visual, auditory, numerical, or graphical. They can take discrete measurements, or continuously monitor the measurand over a period of time.

Biomedical instrumentation however is not to be confused with medical devices. Medical devices are apparati used for diagnostics, treatment, or prevention of disease and injury.[10][11] Most of the time these devices affect the structure or function of the body. The easiest way to tell the difference is that biomedical instruments measure, sense, and output data while medical devices do not.

Examples of medical devices:

  1. IV tubing
  2. Catheters
  3. Prosthetics
  4. Oxygen masks
  5. Bandages
  1. ^ Ozsahin I, Ozsahin DU, Mubarak MT (January 2022). "Chapter One - Introduction to biomedical instrumentation". In Ozsahin DU, Ozsahin I (eds.). Modern Practical Healthcare Issues in Biomedical Instrumentation. Academic Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-0-323-85413-9.
  2. ^ Luczkowski S. SP-368 Biomedical results of Apollo. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center: NASA. pp. Chapter 3.
  3. ^ a b "Bioinstrumentation". Berkeley Bioengineering. University of California. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  4. ^ "What is Bioinstrumentation?". wiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  5. ^ Sullivan AN, Lachman ME (January 2017). "Behavior Change with Fitness Technology in Sedentary Adults: A Review of the Evidence for Increasing Physical Activity". Frontiers in Public Health. 4: 289. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2016.00289. PMC 5225122. PMID 28123997.
  6. ^ "Global wearable technology market 2012-2018 | Statistics". Statista. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  7. ^ Webster JG, Nimunkar AJ (2020). Webster JG, Nimunkar AJ (eds.). Medical instrumentation: application and design (Fifth ed.). Hoboken, NJ. ISBN 978-1-119-45733-6. OCLC 1131895650.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ WO2017192915A1, BATES, James Stewart, "Systems and methods for medical instrument patient measurements", issued 2017-11-09 
  9. ^ Teja R (2021-04-02). "What is a Sensor? Different Types of Sensors, Applications". Electronics Hub. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  10. ^ "Medical devices". www.who.int. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  11. ^ Aronson JK, Heneghan C, Ferner RE (February 2020). "Medical Devices: Definition, Classification, and Regulatory Implications". Drug Safety. 43 (2): 83–93. doi:10.1007/s40264-019-00878-3. PMID 31845212. S2CID 209371804.