BME 301 - Exam 4 Instructional Objectives

Exam Date: 12/03/24

These instructional objectives provide you with a guide for learning the course material. During the examination you should be able to:

Biopotential Amplifiers

1. Given two frontal plane leads, calculate others and the magnitude and angle of the M vector.
2. Calculate lead voltages using Einthoven’s Triangle.
3. Sketch the circuit for the Wilson central terminal and the augmented limb leads.
4. Explain the purpose of the Wilson central terminal and augmented limb leads.
5. Explain why biopotential amplifiers need high gain and high CMRR.
6. Given currents flowing into the body and the leads of an electrocardiograph, calculate the power-line interference.
7. Explain how to protect an electrocardiograph from high voltage transients.
8. Explain how to minimize induced currents in leads.
9. Given the signal amplitude and frequency range of a biopotential, design an amplifier.
10. Given a biopotential circuit, identify design errors.
11. Design an averaging and a beat-to-beat cardiotachometer.
12. Design an integrator.
13. Design a differentiator.
14. Design an EMG integrator circuit.

Safety

1. Compare the maximal current density in the heart for macroshock and microshock.
2. Describe the different physiological effects of electricity as a function of current.
3. Explain how frequency affects susceptibility to shock.
4. Explain the difference between a macroshock and microshock.
5. Explain why electric power distribution systems are grounded.
6. Explain the purpose of a line isolation monitor.
7. In circuits, calculate electric currents that might cause microshock.
8. Calculate the current duration necessary to trigger an action potential.

Blood Pressure

1. List the order of vessels blood flows through starting at the left ventricle.
2. Define direct and indirect blood pressure measurements and give examples of each.
3. Given the transient response of a pressure-sensor-catheter system, calculate the undamped natural frequency, $\omega_n$, the damped natural frequency, $\omega_d$, and the damping ratio.
4. Sketch the transient response of an overdamped, underdamped, and critically damped pressure-sensor-catheter system.
5. Sketch the frequency response of a pressure-sensor-catheter system with and without bubbles.
6. Explain how catheter parameters affect pressure readings.
7. Determine bandwidth requirements for a blood pressure measurement system.
8. Explain causes of blood pressure waveform distortion.
9. List characteristics of venous pressure.
10. Calculate the effect of kinetic and potential energy on blood pressure readings.
11. Explain how the three methods of automated indirect blood pressure measurements work.

Flow and Volume

1. Describe how to measure cardiac output using the Fick technique.
2. Calculate cardiac output using data measured with the Fick technique.
3. Describe how to measure cardiac output using the thermodilution technique.
4. Calculate cardiac output using data measured with the Thermodilution technique.
5. Calculate flow rates given parameters for an electromagnetic flowmeter.
6. Explain why AC is superior to DC for an electromagnetic flowmeter.
7. Explain how an electromagnetic flowmeter works and the pros and cons of measuring flow in arteries versus veins.
8. Explain how a continuous wave ultrasonic flowmeter works.
9. Calculate the near field length and angle of divergence for the far field of an ultrasonic flowmeter.
10. For an ultrasonic flowmeter, calculate one of flow velocity, frequency shift, source frequency, transducer angle, velocity of sound, given the other parameters.
11. Explain the operating principle of thermal-convection velocity sensors.
12. Calculate flow velocity given measurements from a thermal-convection velocity sensor.
13. Explain how electrical impedance plethysmography works.
14. Calculate changes in tissue impedance given appropriate parameters.