IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine 

About: IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine is an academic journal published by IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Health care & Health systems engineering. It has an ISSN identifier of 0739-5175. Over the lifetime, 1833 publications have been published receiving 65992 citations. The journal is also known as: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers engineering in medicine and biology magazine & EMB magazine.

The impact of the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database

Abstract: The MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database was the first generally available set of standard test material for evaluation of arrhythmia detectors, and it has been used for that purpose as well as for basic research into cardiac dynamics at about 500 sites worldwide since 1980. It has lived a far longer life than any of its creators ever expected. Together with the American Heart Association Database, it played an interesting role in stimulating manufacturers of arrhythmia analyzers to compete on the basis of objectively measurable performance, and much of the current appreciation of the value of common databases, both for basic research and for medical device development and evaluation, can be attributed to this experience. In this article, we briefly review the history of the database, describe its contents, discuss what we have learned about database design and construction, and take a look at some of the later projects that have been stimulated by both the successes and the limitations of the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database.

The principles of software QRS detection

Abstract: The QRS complex is the most striking waveform within the electrocardiogram (ECG). Since it reflects the electrical activity within the heart during the ventricular contraction, the time of its occurrence as well as its shape provide much information about the current state of the heart. Due to its characteristic shape it serves as the basis for the automated determination of the heart rate, as an entry point for classification schemes of the cardiac cycle, and often it is also used in ECG data compression algorithms. In that sense, QRS detection provides the fundamentals for almost all automated ECG analysis algorithms. Software QRS detection has been a research topic for more than 30 years. The evolution of these algorithms clearly reflects the great advances in computer technology. Within the last decade many new approaches to QRS detection have been proposed; for example, algorithms from the field of artificial neural networks genetic algorithms wavelet transforms, filter banks as well as heuristic methods mostly based on nonlinear transforms. The authors provide an overview of these recent developments as well as of formerly proposed algorithms.

Medical image matching-a review with classification

Abstract: A classification scheme for multimodal image matching is considered. The scope of the classification is restricted to methods that register data after acquisitions. The classification scheme may be used for any modality; not only for (2-D) projection images and (3-D) tomographic images, but also for other signal modalities that provide spatial insight into function or anatomy, e.g., EEG (electroencephalography) or MEG (magnetoencephalography) and for the real physical patient. The available literature on image matching is discussed and classified. >

A new, easily miniaturized steerable endoscope

Abstract: This article describes a new steerable endoscope for laparoscopic surgery. The steerable mechanism was inspired by the tentacles of squid and consists only of standard parts such as cables, coil springs, rings, and tubes. Laparoscopic surgery is carried out using an endoscope and long and slender instruments that are inserted through small incisions in the abdominal wall. The endoscope contains a light source and a camera that displays a picture of the abdominal cavity on a monitor in the operation room. The surgeon uses the instruments to carry out the operation while estimating the spatial position of the instruments and the organs from the camera picture. The mechanism can be easily miniaturized to a very small diameter, making it suitable for low-cost mass production of steerable endoscopes, instruments, and catheters. A patent for the mechanism has been applied for, and it is currently being commercialized.

Quantitative microscopy

Abstract: While light microscopy is almost 400 years old, developments of the past decade have offered a variety of new mechanisms for examination of biological and material samples. These developments include exploitation of techniques such as confocal microscopy, scanning near field microscopy, standing wave microscopy, fluorescence lifetime microscopy, and two-photon microscopy. In biology, advances in molecular biology and biochemistry have made it possible to selectively tag (and thus make visible) specific parts of cells, such as actin molecules, or sequences of DNA of 1000 base pairs or longer. In sensor technology, modern charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras are capable of achieving high spatial resolution and high sensitivity measurements of signals in the optical microscope. Modern CCD camera systems are limited by the fundamental quantum fluctuations of photons, which cannot be eliminated by "better" design. Further, proper choice of the sampling density involves not only an understanding of classic linear system theory-the Nyquist theorem-but also the equally stringent requirements of digital measurement theory. Experimental procedures that rely on the CV can be used to evaluate the quality of one's quantitative microscope systems and to identify which components are the "weakest link". Typical values of relatively straightforward parameters such as size can easily be measured to CVs around 1%.