Interfacing the IBM-PC to Medical Equipment
The Art of Serial Communication

A practical resource book, describing serial interfacing techniques for a wide range of PC and medical equipment users.

Richard W. D. Nickalls (Author), R. Ramasubramanian (Author)

9780521462808, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 March 1995

428 pages, 10 b/w illus.
23.6 x 15.7 x 2.9 cm, 0.718 kg

'This book gives a good introduction to interfacing the PC to other pieces of equipment via the serial port.' Journal of the Royal College of Physicians

As computerisation in the medical environment has increased, so the advantages of storage and the computer analysis of data from various monitoring and measuring equipment has become well recognised. Most medical monitoring and measurement equipment now supports an RS-232 serial interface, allowing for direct computer access both in terms of data analysis and equipment control. This book describes the techniques used for interfacing a PC to a range of medical equipment used internationally in the areas of anaesthesia, intensive care, surgery, respiratory medicine and physiology. Part One addresses the serial interface, including the RS-232 standard, transmission of data and an introduction to serial-interface programming using Microsoft QuickBASIC. Part Two looks at electrical safety, the use of Kermit and data analysis. Part Three considers the practical aspects of interfacing a PC to a wide range of equipment, and includes example programs for collecting data and in some cases for controlling the equipment directly. This essential practical information constitutes a valuable resource for a very broad audience of PC and measurement equipment users in the medical field.

Part I. The Serial Interface: 1. The RS-232 standard
2. Transmission of data
3. Flow control
4. The PC serial interface
5. Serial interface programming in QuickBASIC
Part II. Miscellaneous Topics: 6. Kermit
7. Electrical safety and the PC
8. Data analysis
Part III. The Equipment: 9. The Ohmeda 3700 and 3740 pulse oximeters
10. The Nellcor N-200E pulse oximeter
11. The Novametrix 515A pulse oximeter
12. The Minolta Pulsox-7 pulse oximeter
13. The Datex CardiocapTMII and Capnomac UltimaTM series of monitors
14. The Graseby 3400 syringe pump
15. The Ohmeda 9000 syringe pump
16. The Vitalograph compact II spirometer
17. The Ohmeda 7800 ventilator
18. The Dräger Evita intensive care ventilator
Appendices: 1. ASCII control and graphic characters
2. Serial port connector pin-outs
3. Key codes
4. The null modem
5. Program for a device simulator
6. QuickBASIC 4.5 OPEN and OPEN COM statements
7. Plotting data using GNUPLOT
8. Binary and hexadecimal notation
9. Glossary of terms and abbreviations
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Medical equipment & techniques [MBG]