Biomedical Electronics

Higher education teachers: Jarm Tomaž
Collaborators: Kramar Peter

Subject description

Prerequisits:

Inscription in the 2nd cycle (masters level) of the study. College-level knowledge about analogue electronics and principles of electrical measurement is required (for example, previously taken courses Measurements and Electronics from the 1st cycle). Positive grades from practical work and the final exam are required to complete the course.

Content (Syllabus outline):

• Biomedical signal acquisition: conditioning of bioelectric and other signals; signal isolation, preamplifiers; noise sources and measures to limit their contribution to signal contamination; small signal acquisition; instrumentation amplifiers; active and passive filters; frequency bands of typical biomedical signals; filtering of biomedical signals; pulse and waveform generators for electrical stimulation of tissues.
• Biomedical instrumentation for signal acquisition: ECG, EMG, EEG. Electrical stimulation of excitable tissues, heart pacemakers, cardioverters, defibrillators, functional electrical stimulation. Electrosurgical devices. Electromagnetic compatibility and safety of electrical medical devices (sources of danger (electrical hazards), safety measures, leakage currents, safety-related markings on equipment, safety testing, safety and other standards).

Objectives and competences:

• To learn about specific electronic circuits and elements typically encountered in medical instruments used in clinical and research environment. To gain practical experience from using the instruments and from building and testing a biopotential amplifier or electrical stimulator or some other device.
• To build awareness of the need for safe design, operation and use of biomedical devices from the patient's and the operator's point of view. To gain elementary knowledge about standards and measures needed to protect against electrical hazards in medical environment.

Intended learning outcomes:

• Knowledge and understanding: Knowledge about structure and understanding of the function of typical electronic medical devices and specific electric circuits commonly encountered in measurement, diagnostic or therapeutic instruments. Understanding of potential electrical hazards and measures for their prevention in medical environment.
• Practical use: Ability for elementary use of selected biomedical instruments. Application of knowledge to build a biopotential amplifier (and acquire signals), an electrical stimulator or some other device and to evaluate its characteristics.
• Reflexion: Awareness of different sources of danger in application of electrical devices in medical environment.
• Transferable skills: Ability to evaluate electrical medical devices. Ability to select an appropriate method or a device for a specific purpose and to recognize its limitations,.

Learning and teaching methods:

Lectures, individual practical lab assignments, one major project assignment (planning, designing, building and evaluation of a biopotential amplifier or some other device to acquire a specific biomedical signal), self study. This course should be taken together with the course Measurements and Sensors in Biomedicine (both courses run in parallel and share some of the lab work and the project).

Study materials

Readings:

1. David Prutchi, Michael Norris: Design and Development of Medical Electronic Instrumentation: A Practical Perspective of the Design, Construction, and Test of Medical Devices. Wiley-Interscience, 2004
2. N. Leitgeb: Safety of electromedical devices. Springer, 2010.
3. J.D. Bronzino (editor): The biomedical engineering handbook (3rd ed.). CRC Press, 2006.
4. J. G. Webster (editor): Medical Instrumentation Application and Design (4th edition). Wiley, 2008.
5. Alojz Kralj (editor): Osnove medicinske elektrotehnike. Dopisna delavska univerza Univerzum, Ljubljana, 1983.
6. A. Šantić: Biomedicinska elektronika, Školska knjiga Zagreb, 1994.