ABSTRACT

An important aspect of biomedical engineering is measuring and interpreting biosignals originating from almost every system in the body, from the nervous system to the endocrine system and the brain. These signals are electrical signals that result from action potentials in our cells, the nervous system being the primary example. It is also possible to measure quantities such as blood pressure or frequency of a heart valve opening and closing, and treat them as biosignals. The correct measurement and interpretation of signals is vital in assisting physicians with diagnosis, patient monitoring, and treatment, for example, heart bypass surgery requires stringent monitoring of blood oxygenation levels to avoid tissue damage. As such, signal-processing techniques have become important in biomedical engineering to interpret the information and to present it effectively.