Medical equipment

From ArticleWorld


Medical equipment is a broad term that represents any complex machine used in the medical field. A piece of medical equipment can be used for diagnosis, monitoring or treatment of a medical condition.

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Types

Diagnostic medical equipment is generally restricted to imaging machines that allow for non-invasive evaluation of various body areas. X-ray machines, CT scanners (computerized tomography), MRI machines (magnetic resonance imaging) and PET scanners (positron emission tomography) fall into this category. Some of these machines are used alone while, at other times, IV contrast media or other media, such as oral barium solutions, are used in specialized evaluations.

Monitoring equipment measures various aspects of an individual’s physiological status. Machines can measure a patient’s blood pressure continuously or intermittently. ECG machines (electrocardiography) measure cardiac activity on a continuous or intermittent basis. An EEG machine (electroencephalogram) measures brain wave activity and can detect seizure activity. Oximetry machines can tell how much oxygen is in the blood.

Life support equipment helps to support the vital functions of an ailing patient. This kind of equipment includes ventilators that support respiration, heart-lung bypass machines used during heart surgery, ECMO machines (extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation) that help premature infants receive oxygenation and dialysis machines used in kidney or liver disease.

Therapeutic equipment includes IV infusion pumps and lasers used in surgery. LASIK machines use lasers in the correction of vision.

Medical laboratory equipment can include microscopes, centrifuges and laboratory testing equipment. Centrifuges are necessary to separate blood into cells, coagulation proteins and serum. A separate machine is then used to analyze the serum for water-soluble substances. Whole blood is evaluated separately to determine an individual’s blood cell counts in the blood sample. Blood gas equipment takes arterial blood and examines it for oxygen content and for its level of acidity. A separate machine can determine a patient’s coagulation status.

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