Biomedical sensors
Biomedical sensors
Biomedical sensors are used routinely in clinical medicine and biological research for measuring a wide range of physiological variables. They are often called biomedical transducers and are the main building blocks of diagnostic medical instrumentation found in physicians’ offices, clinical laboratories, and hospitals. These sensors are used routinely in vivo to perform continuous invasive and noninvasive monitoring of critical physiological variables as well as in vitro to help clinicians in various diagnostic procedures. Some biomedical sensors are also used in non-medical applications such as environmental monitoring, agriculture, bioprocessing, food processing, and the petrochemical and pharmacological industries.
Increasing pressures to lower health care costs, optimize efficiency, and provide better care in less expensive settings without compromising patient care are shaping the future of clinical medicine. As part of this ongoing trend, clinical testing is rapidly being transformed by the introduction of new tests that will revolutionize the way physicians diagnose and treat diseases in the future. Among these changes, patient self-testing and physician office screening are the two most rapidly expanding areas. This trend is driven by the desire of patients and physicians alike to have the ability to perform some types of instantaneous diagnosis and to move the testing apparatus from an outside central clinical laboratory to the point of care.
Biomedical sensors play an important role in a range of diagnostic medical applications. Depending on the specific needs, some sensors are used primarily in clinical laboratories to measure in vitro physiological quantities such as electrolytes, enzymes, and other biochemical metabolites in blood. Other biomedical sensors for measuring pressure, flow, and the concentrations of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide are used in vivo to follow continuously [monitor] the condition of a patient. For real-time continuous in vivo sensing to be worthwhile, the target analytes must vary rapidly and most often unpredictably.
The need for accurate medical diagnostic procedures places stringent requirements on the design and use of biomedical sensors. Usually, the first step in developing a biomedical sensor is to assess in vitro the accuracy, operating range, response time, sensitivity, resolution, and reproducibility of the sensor. Later, depending on the intended application, similarly in vivo tests may be required to confirm the specifications of the sensor and to assure that the measurement remains sensitive, stable, safe and cost effective.
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