Computer methods and programs in biomedicine
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The use of a microcomputer in lung sound-analysis is described. The system was used experimentally in order to evaluate automated auscultation as a mean for improving the sensitivity of pulmonary health mass screening. The sound signals from four custom-made piezoelectric transducers, affixed at specific locations on the chest wall, and the breathing flow signal produced by a pneumotachograph were amplified, filtered and digitized simultaneously at 4000 Hz per channel for 512 ms. ⋯ The operator could assess the convergence of the spectral pattern using the on-line graphics and calculated parameters, and store the data once the noise level had reached a preset level. This procedure was repeated during expiration, inspiration and on breath arrest. The results of the off-line analysis of the lung sounds, combined with pulmonary function tests and a questionnaire, were used to identify lung pathology.
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Mar 1992
Intuitive user interfaces (IUI): a CASE starting point for design and programming.
The acceptance of a software product depends to a considerable extent on the user interface. The class of graphic-oriented user interfaces that are called Intuitive User Interfaces (IUI) is described. These interfaces allow the user to learn to operate software programs quickly. ⋯ All images the layout consists of are created with the aid of a paint program. Using these images, a procedure for creating, programming and linking an IUI to software applications is discussed and recommendations are made concerning software and hardware demands for easily creating IUIs. Practical experience of the authors with this procedure, mainly in the medical area, is described.
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Feb 1991
The median filter as a preprocessor for a patient monitor limit alarm system in intensive care.
We studied the effects of removing brief variations in the monitoring data on the quality of limit alarms during the postoperative haemodynamic monitoring of cardiac patients. The variations were removed by median filtering. The false alarm frequency was reduced by more than two-thirds compared with a typical patient monitor. ⋯ The proportion of true alarms increased from 12% to 49% as compared to a typical patient monitor. The average false alarm frequency was 4.5 alarms per monitored hour. No correct alarms were missed.
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Feb 1991
KBSIM/FLUIDTHERAPY: a system for optimized design of fluid resuscitation in trauma.
An application of the KBSIM (Knowledge-Based SIMulation) system to the improved design of fluid resuscitation is described. The system integrates knowledge from three domains, viz. the pathophysiology of traumatized patients represented in a quantitative biodynamic model, the heuristics of fluid resuscitation of such patients as represented in 'production rules', and some 'metaknowledge' reflected in the design of a multi-window user interface. This technique of combining numerical simulation with symbolic reasoning has obvious advantages during the design process and in training, by giving the user a possibility to evaluate his measures by direct feedback from the system. This feature of the system to assist in evaluation of alternative resuscitation procedures should also be useful as a means for decision support.
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Jan 1991
NeuroVideo: a program for capturing and processing time-lapse video.
We have developed a program for the Macintosh computer to control a Panasonic Optical Memory Disk Recorder (OMDR) in order to generate time-lapse video recordings of growing neurons. The software, in addition to regulating the timing of a recording in a flexible way, can also digitize and pre-process images before writing them out to the optical disk. NeuroVideo includes a complete set of functions to enhance images, and provides both an easy-to-use graphical interface and a simple but powerful text-based scripting language.