04-Bio-A8: May 2015

Paper format: National Exams, May 2015 — 04-Bio-A8 Biophysical Measurements. Three hours, open book, any non-communicating calculator. Seven questions of equal value (20 marks each); five constitute a complete paper and only the first five appearing in the answer book are marked. All seven are solved here, because this set is a study resource rather than an examination script. Every question is qualitative/descriptive — there is no numerical data to compute — so each answer follows flowing prose with instrumentation block diagrams where the question explicitly asks for one. Questions 2 and 4 cover nerve-fibre stimulate/record instrumentation and the Einthoven-triangle/Lead I ECG.

Reference texts (the books an open-book candidate should have on the desk for this subject):

• J. G. Webster (ed.), Medical Instrumentation: Application and Design, 5th ed. — ch. 4 (bioelectric amplifiers), ch. 5 (electrodes), ch. 6 (biopotential/ECG measurement), ch. 8 (cardiovascular instrumentation & impedance plethysmography), ch. 9 (respiration), ch. 11 (evoked-potential and neurophysiological instrumentation), ch. 12 (ultrasound imaging & Doppler flow), ch. 10/pulse-oximetry supplements.
• J. Enderle & J. Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, 4th ed. — ch. 3 (bioelectric phenomena, Hodgkin–Huxley membrane model, cable theory), ch. 9 (biomedical sensors), ch. 10 (biosignal processing).
• IEC 60601-1, Medical electrical equipment — general requirements for basic safety (patient isolation, leakage-current limits) for the ECG and nerve-conduction instrumentation discussed below.

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