EC6001

MEDICAL ELECTRONICS
Dr T M INBAMALAR M.E. Ph D
PROFESSOR/ECE
RMK COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
TECHNOLOGY
TEXT BOOK

REFERENCE
RECOMMENDED FOR READING
Introduction

• The human body is beautifully complex consisting of mechanical, electrical,

and chemical systems that allow us to live and function.
• An example of a mechanical system in the body is the actin and myosin
filaments found in muscles that allow them to contract.
• Chemical systems include the neurotransmitters that are released by neurons
for communication with other cells.

•Electrical systems include the electrical

potentials that propagate down nerve cells
and muscle fibers. These potentials are
responsible for brain function, muscle
movement, cardiac function, eye
movement, sensory function, and many
other events in the body
SYLLABUS

 UNIT I ELECTRO-PHYSIOLOGY AND BIO-POTENTIAL

RECORDING

 UNIT II BIO-CHEMICAL AND NON ELECTRICAL PARAMETER

MEASUREMENT

 UNIT III ASSIST DEVICES

 UNIT IV PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND BIOTELEMETRY

 UNIT V RECENT TRENDS IN MEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION

UNIT I ELECTRO-PHYSIOLOGY AND BIO-
POTENTIAL RECORDING
• The origin of Bio-potentials Human physiology
• Biopotential electrodes Science on vital processes
and functions in living organisms
• Biological amplifiers
• ECG
Electrophysiology
• EEG
• Study of electric properties of
• EMG biological cells and organs
• PCG • Includes measurement of voltage
changes and currents from cell level
to organ level
• In neuroscience, potentials of nerve
cells and action potentials are
measured
Types of electrophysiological measurements
Human body structure
Human body composition -
• Chemical elements the structural level
• Cells • Chemical level
• Tissue – group of similar cells
• Cellular level
• Organ – group of similar tissues
• Tissue level
• System – functional complex made of
different organs • Organ level
• Organism – functional complex of 11 • System level
systems
• The level of the organism

“A man is a machine, extremely complex, but still a machine” (Arthur Vander)

Human body chemical composition
• Most represented elements (approx.
99.3%):
• Hydrogen (H) - 63% • Other elements (<0.01%):
• Oxygen (O) - 26% – Iron (Fe)
• Carbon (C) - 9% – Iodine (I)
– Copper (Cu)
• Nitrogen (N) - 1%
– Zinc (Zn)
• Minerals (approx 0.7%):
– Manganese (Mn)
– Calcium (Ca)
– Cobalt (Co)
– Phosphorus (P) – Chromium (Cr)
– Potassium (K) – Selenium (Se)
– Sulphur (S) – Molybdenum (Mo)
– Sodium (Na) – Fluorine (F)
– Chlorine (Cl) – Tin (Sn)
– Magnesium(Mg) – Silicon (Si)
– Vanadium (V)
Cell and its structure:
Cell and its structure:
Cell structure and functions
• Each cell consists of a centrally located Nucleus (Cell Core)
• The Nucleus is surrounded by cytoplasm (Cell body)
• Nucleus is separated from cytoplasm by nuclear membrane
• Cytoplasm is separated from the surrounding fluid by the cell membrane
• The different substances that make up the cell are collectively called as
protoplasm
• Protoplasm is composed of water, electrolyte, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates
• Water – 70 to 80%, solvent for all chemicals to produce chemical reaction
• Electrolyte: Large quantity- Magnesium, potassium, Phosphate, bicarbonate
Small quantity- Calcium, chloride , sodium
• Proteins – Structural and globular
• Structural – long, thin filament provide contractile mechanism of all muscles
• Globular – provide energy for cell function ie chemical reaction
Cell structure and functions

• Lipids – soluble in fats, solvent and insoluble in water

• Carbohydrates – nutrition of cell. It is stored in cell in the form of glycogen and
used to supply cell’s energy
• Ribosome – RNA + Proteins
• Lysosomes – used in digestive system
• Mitochondria – Power house of the cell
• Extracts energy from nucleus and oxygen
• Contains DNA
Transport of Ions through the cell membrane
• Intra Cellular fluid (ICF)
• Extra cellular Fluid (ECF)
 Fluids
• Intracellular fluid is located within the cell membrane and contains water, electrolytes
and proteins. Potassium, magnesium, and phosphate are the three most common
electrolytes in the ICF
• Extracellular fluid (ECF) denotes all body fluid outside the cells. Plasma and
interstitial fluid are the two components that make up at least 97% of the ECF. Lymph
makes up a small percentage of the interstitial fluid. The remaining small portion of the
ECF includes the transcellular fluid (about 2.5%).
• Plasma: The straw-colored/pale-yellow, liquid component of blood that normally holds the
blood cells of whole blood in suspension.
• Interstitial fluid: A solution that bathes and surrounds the cells of multicellular animals;
also called tissue fluid.
• Lymph is the fluid that circulates throughout the lymphatic system. It is formed when
the interstitial fluid is collected through lymph capillaries. It is then transported through
larger lymphatic vessels to lymph nodes, where it is cleaned by lymphocytes, before
emptying ultimately into the right or the left subclavian vein, where it mixes back with
the blood.
• Transcellular fluid is the portion of total body water contained within the epithelial-lined
spaces.
Movement across membranes

• Movement of substances across cell membranes is necessary as it allows

cells to acquire oxygen and nutrients, excrete waste products and control
the concentration of required substances in the cell (e.g oxygen, water,
hormones, ions, etc).
• All the exchanges between the cell and its environment have to pass through the
cell membrane.
• The cell membrane is selectively permeable to ions (e.g. hydrogen,
sodium), small molecules (oxygen, carbon dioxide) and larger molecules
(glucose and amino acids) and controls the movement of substances in
and out of the cells.
• The key processes through which such movement occurs include
(1) Diffusion
(2) Osmosis
(3) Facilitated diffusion
(4) Active transport
Diffusion

• Diffusion is the movement of substances from a region of high concentration to

low concentration. It is therefore said to occur down a concentration gradient
• Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to a
lower concentration. It is a passive process (i.e. does not require input of energy).
• Examples of substances moved by diffusion include carbon dioxide,
oxygen and other small molecules that are able to dissolve within the lipid
bilayer.
Osmosis
• Movement of water always occurs down a concentration gradient, i.e from higher water
potential (dilute solution) to lower potential (concentrated solution) across a semi-
permeable membrane that separates the two regions. .
• Osmosis is a passive process and does not require any input of energy.
• Cell membranes allow molecules of water to pass through, but they do not allow
molecules of most dissolved substances, e.g. salt and sugar, to pass through. As water
enters the cell via osmosis, it creates a pressure known as osmotic pressure.
• Osmosis in the kidneys keeps the water and salt levels in the body and blood at
the correct levels.
Facilitated diffusion

• Facilitated diffusion is a special form of diffusion which allows rapid exchange of

specific substances.
• Particles are taken up by carrier proteins which change their shape as a result.
• The change in shape causes the particles to be released on the other side of the
membrane.
• Facilitated diffusion can only occur across living, biological membranes which
contain the carrier proteins.
• A substance is transported via a carrier protein from a region of high
concentration to a region of low concentration until it is randomly distributed.
Therefore movement is down a concentration gradient.
• Examples of substances moved via facilitated diffusion include all polar
molecules such as glucose or amino acids.
Active transport

• Active transport is the movement of substances against a concentration gradient,

from a region of low concentration to high concentration using an input of energy.
• In biological systems, the form in which this energy occurs is adenosine
triphosphate (ATP).
• The process transports substances through a membrane protein.
• The movement of substances is selective via the carrier proteins and can occur
into or out of the cell.
•
Biopotentials

• Biopotentials are produced as a result of electrochemical activity of excitable

cells: i.e., nervous, muscular (cardiac and smooth) and glandular cells
• Electrical potentials are created by the flow of ions in and out of cells.
• The flow of these charged ions creates potential differences between the inside
and outside of cells.
• These potential differences are called biopotentials.
• Biopotentials can be measured with electrodes and electronic instrumentation
to provide insight into the functioning of various biological systems.
Cell membrane potentials or Bio-potentials
• Cell Membrane very thin (7-15 nm) lipid-protein
complex
• allow flow of ions across the membrane
• impermeable to intracellular protein and other
organic anions
• selectively permeable to sodium (Na+) potassium
(K+) and chlorine(Cl-) ions
• ion concentration difference across membrane
creates a diffusion gradient
• ions flow, creating an electric field that opposes flow,
until an equilibrium is established
• similar to p-n junction, ions flow by diffusion and
create a potential difference which inhibits further
flow of charged ions
• Equilibrium transmembrane (resting) potential
when net current through the membrane is zero
Resting potential

• The membrane potential caused by different concentration of ions is called as

Resting potential
• Range -60 to -100 mV
• When resting state, it is said to be polarized
Nernst equation:
Action Potential

• When the cell membrane is excited by some external energy, then the
permeability changes. So sodium ions are allowed to enter the cell. So, the
sodium ions are allowed to enter inside the cell. So, the cell has a slightly positive
potential on the inside due to the imbalance of potassium ions. The positive
potential of the cell membrane during excitation is called as action potential.
• Range 20mV
Half Cell Potential or Electrode Potential

• Voltage developed at an Electrode- Electrolyte interface

• When a metal comes in contact with an electrolyte (body fluid), then there is a
tendency for the electrode to discharge ions into solution as a result of which
charge gradient is created