As the heart is essentially an electrical pump, it is not surprising that medical physics and medical engineering have contributed significantly to the development of measurement techniques which have improved the care of cardiology patients.
There are many techniques which can be used to study heart function. However, this review limits its discussion to physiological measurement, which relates to measurements made directly from patients rather than laboratory investigations. These measurements are associated mainly with the electrical activity of the heart, the pressure induced when the heart contracts, the resulting blood flow, and the oxygen levels achieved as the blood is pushed through the lungs.
Many of the improvements that have been achieved recently in cardiological measurement have been made possible by the vast power of modern computers and of microprocessors, which can be so easily embedded in modern medical devices.
Murray A. Physiological measurement in cardiology. In: Sharp PF, Perkins AC, eds. Physics and Engineering in Medicine in the New Millennium. York: IPEM 2000;35-39.
Professor Alan Murray, Freeman Unit, Newcastle upon Tyne. Tel: +44 (0)191-223-6161.
Regional Medical Physics Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7DN, UK.
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