Abstract
Measurement of the heart’s efficiency plays a key role for cardiac monitoring. Since 1970, doctors have injected patients with cold solution to measure their hearts’ blood output [1]. A flow-directed thermodilution catheter is inserted into the right atrium of the heart. The catheter allows the solution to be injected directly into the heart and enables measurement of the temperature of the blood in the pulmonary artery. By combining temperature readings with pulse rate, doctors can determine how much blood the heart pumps. Such types of catheters with conventional thermistor and thermocouple devices have been commercially available for many years and are still widely used in practice. However, as these sensors are electrically active they are not appropriate for use in a number of medical applications, in particular, in high magnetic fields associated with NMR machines. Fibreoptic sensors can overcome this problem as they are dielectric and hence virtually immune to electromagnetic interference
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Optical Fiber Sensors |
| Pages | 354-357 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 1997 |
| Event | 12th international conference on optical fiber sensors - Williamsburg, United States Duration: 28 Oct 1997 → 31 Oct 1997 |
Conference
| Conference | 12th international conference on optical fiber sensors |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Williamsburg |
| Period | 28/10/97 → 31/10/97 |