Nov 28, 2010

Using Portable EKG Monitors to Prevent Strokes

Physicians use electrocardiograms investigations in evaluation of any abnormal heart disease symptoms. Patients who may require these tests are elderly individuals who experience sudden onset of weakness or fatigue or chest pain. It can also to investigate causes of sudden onset of rapid heartbeats.

In individuals who have a strong family history of heart disease and over the age of 40 years, ECG/EKG testing are used to detect any early signs of heart disease.

The optimum methodologies used to describe a doctors analysis of EKG / ECG testing is that they provide a window to how a healthy heart would look. This is the easiest way for them to see differences in heart rhythm, heart rate and other patterns of the heart electrical impulses. In cases where a patient's heart shows abnormalities, additional testing is usually ordered to determine the nature of the problem, but first doctors will try to identify recurring patterns over time. In additions to these testing, physicians also use the ECG/EKG investigation to analyze the effects of medications or drugs.

Traditionally, 12-Lead ECG is performed at physicians clinic or in hospital. The downside to this type of testing is that it only records a few minutes of time. Since so many heart conditions are not occurring all of the time, this type of test is insufficient in detecting these problems.Also they require trained technicians to perform these investigations.



Nov 25, 2010

Purchasing a Vital Signs Monitor for Your Medical Practice

1. Vital Signs Monitoring Systems can be divided into three groups based on acuity: low, medium, and high. These three categories represent the care settings and the types of patients to be monitored.

2. Low acuity monitors perform basic vital signs monitoring, and may be used for outpatient surgical applications with a low level of monitoring.

3. Medium acuity monitors are found in a variety of settings, including the emergency department, intermediate care unit, and general medical/surgical floors. These may be modular or configured with other add-on modules.

4. High acuity monitors are used in CCU and OR environments, or in post anesthesia care units. They may be modular or configured with other add-on modules.

5. Using a LAN based system, central-monitoring stations should display and control data from bedside monitors, in a way that a failure of any bedside monitor or central station display will not affect the performance of the entire system.

6. A monitor should be able to display data from another bedside monitor, including automatic display of alarm information.

7. The central stations should display waveforms, numeric and graphic displays, tabular displays, and calculations.


Nov 23, 2010

Life and Death With Vital Sign Monitors

There are different tools a healthcare professional uses to measure blood pressure.

Many healthcare professionals use a stethoscope and a manual sphygmomanometer to measure your blood pressure. Typically they take the reading above your elbow. The sphygmomanometer has a bladder, cuff, bulb, and a gauge. When the bulb is pumped it inflates the bladder inside the cuff, which is wrapped around your arm. This inflation will stop the blood flow in your arteries. The stethoscope is used to listen for sound of the heartbeat, and no sound indicates that there is no flow. As the pressure is released from the bladder, you will hear the sound of the blood flowing again. That point becomes systolic reading. The diastolic reading is when you hear no sound again, which means that the blood flow is back to normal.

Current technology, now offers portable automatic blood pressure monitors. Some models can be battery operated, take reading from the wrist or arm, and have a memory to keep track of historical readings. Other models can include other vital sign monitoring, such as temperature, heart rate, and oximetry (the amount of oxygen in your blood).

Some manufacturers of blood pressure measuring devices include, WA Baum, Mabis, Omron, American Diagnostic Corporation, and Welch Allyn.


Nov 21, 2010

The Keys to Purchasing Finger Pulse Oximeters

There are a few factors that you should consider before buying your finger pulse oximeter and they are as follows:

1. Always know that the best pulse oximeters are available at different prices. The highest price is not often the best in quality and therefore you should choose wisely in terms of what you can afford.

2. Check to make sure the finger pulse oximeter is FDA approved. Even though the oximeters are now certified, a few years the current standards.

3. The main reason for purchasing the oximeter is to measure your oxygen saturation and your pulse rate. Therefore you would only want something that is going to give you accurate and reliable readings.

4. You should also determine if your oximeter is easy to use and if you can read the results clearly through the display. Different devices show the results differently.

For some individuals, having a finger pulse oximeter that they can use at home is quite important. Instead of having to make appointments to go see a doctor or nurse in order to measure their oxygen saturation levels, they can conveniently use a finger pulse oximeter to determine how much oxygen they have in their blood stream.

Nov 19, 2010

Solaris Handheld Pulse Oximeter with Alarm for Finger Good Readings!

With the rate of technological development taking place in this modern era, even medical instruments and devices are fast becoming smaller and more affordable. When it comes to the finger pulse oximeter, the once massive large equipment can now literally fit in your pocket (with many oximeters weighing less than 2 ounces). What the pulse oximeter does is measure the oxygen saturation level in the blood. These more compact models can provide the same valuable data as compared to the ones which are placed on you when you are in the hospital (and it is just as quick). To use a finger pulse oximeter, you place one end of the device on your fingertip and the reading comes up on the screen in a few seconds.

Here's the basis of how the oximeter works in order to provide accurate readings of the oxygen saturation levels in the blood: infrared light is absorbed by oxygenated hemoglobin and the red light is allowed to pass through. On the other hand, the opposite is said for the deoxygenated blood. Beams of red light and infrared light are directed from the oximeters through your finger and goes onto the photo detector on the opposite end. The photo detector then calculates the ratio of the red light to the infrared light. This then gives the oxygen saturation level. Persons who are healthy will have an oxygen saturation level between 95% to 99%. The oxygen saturation level indicates how well the heart, lungs and blood are supplying organs with oxygen.

There is a lot of competition when it comes to selling the finger pulse oximeter as there are several manufactures such as Nonin, GTek, Minolta, Maxtec and many more. However, the competition is good as this can mean getting a better price and allowing more individual of different backgrounds to have their own finger pulse oximeter. Many of these medical devices are FDA approved and show both your oxygen level and your pulse rate.



Nov 17, 2010

Philips Zymed XT 96 Hour Recorder to Keep Your Heart on Track!

Biometric monitors are used in measuring biological data. Depending on the purpose, there are different kinds of biometric monitors that can be used. In the case of an electrocardiogram (ECG) machine, it is a device made to measure the activities of the heart, working by recording electronic impulses sent out by the heart in between heartbeats. With a built-in screen or print outs, it provides medical personnel with the needed results.

Kinds to choose from

ECG biometric monitors also come in two kinds, ambulatory and interpretive. Ambulatory ECG monitors feature the Holter monitor, a small recorder that needs to be worn by the patient everyday. Using that, a graphic record of the heart's electrical currents is made in order to detect abnormal activities that may be due to stress and emotional or sleep problems.

Two models of the ambulatory ECG monitor are available: intermittent and continuous. Intermittent models are worn for weeks or months although recording only happens once in a while, while continuous models, as the name suggests, continuously monitors heart activity for two days. Interpretive ECG monitors, on the other hand, use charts in interpreting heart activities. Usually featuring an operation with a 12-lead rhythm, it can run automatically or be manually operated. Interpretive ECG monitors also commonly use interpretation software like pediatric analysis and pacemaker enhancements.

How to choose

Look for an upgradeable model which allows for long-term use while at the same time giving room to address changes that may be required. That way, you won't have to keep changing units just to keep up with your needs. For accurate displays and print outs, look for one that comes with an alphanumeric keyboard. An ECG machine that features a large LCD screen also makes things easier for you since results are easier to read out.

Nov 15, 2010

Why Buy Doppler Ultrasound Equipment?

Ultrasonography is a less invasive and less expensive modality which is easy to schedule and perform in an emergency situation. Sonographers can be called to perform this as an alternative to arteriography and venography, which involves injecting dye into the blood vessels so that they can be detected as X-ray images.

Duplex Ultrasound
A duplex ultrasound is a combination of tests to see how blood moves through your arteries and veins. Duplex means that two types of ultrasonography are employed: regular B-mode ultrasounds, and Doppler ultrasounds. The conventional ultrasound shows the structures of your blood vessels and Doppler shows the movement of your red blood cells through the vessels and the sound of the frequency shifts.

Doppler Ultrasound Semantics
It is interesting to note that in sonography, the word Doppler is used similar to the way the word Kleenex is. People use tissues and refer to them as Kleenex when they're not. In sonography, the word Doppler is used when true scientific Doppler is not what is really being done. It's similar, but different.

The technical point to know is that Doppler Ultrasound equipment is technically concerned with sound frequency, whereas in ultrasound applications we compare the PHASE of the sound. In what we do, Phase Shifts are more detectable and are what we measure, not frequency, but it's similar so it's referred to as Doppler sonography. Semantics!

Nov 13, 2010

The Summit Doppler Vista AVS Advanced Vascular System for the Best Diagnosis!

While B-mode ultrasound can show images from within the body, the movement of blood and its speed cannot be measured with it alone.

Doppler ultrasound can detect and measure the movement of red blood cells as they cause a change in pitch of the reflected sound waves (called the Doppler effect). There would be no phase shift (rate of change in pitch) if the blood wasn't moving.

How Doppler Ultrasound is Performed
Ultrasound technicians trained in ultrasound imaging (sonographers) place a probe (transducer) over the area of the body being diagnosed. First an image of the region of interest is acquired. Then the vessel is located and the transducer is angled so that the best Doppler shift can be obtained. The best location would be to be able to look directly into the vessel (much like looking into a tunnel). Because of how the vessels are located in the body this is of course often not possible. Thus maneuvering the probe or steering the ultrasound/Doppler beam will make this plausible.

Acquired Doppler information can be heard, shown on a chart (much like and EKG) or in colored blood streaming through the vessel.

Types of Doppler Ultrasound
Commonly, two types of Doppler transducers are used Continuous Wave Doppler and Pulsed Wave Doppler.

Continuous Wave Doppler ultrasound transducers use two crystals, one to send and one to receive echoes. The transmitter emits a continuous sinusoidal wave so a receiver can detect the phase shift. An audible sound is recorded and analyzed. CW Doppler provides high sensitivity to low velocities and detection of high velocities without aliasing. However, CW Doppler cannot distinguish between the sending and receiving signals or extraneous echoes. CW Doppler ultrasound does not produce images like Pulsed Wave Doppler does.

Pulsed-Wave Doppler Ultrasound is combined B-mode to produce images of a certain structure. PW uses a pulsed echo system, the PW transducer both sends and receives the signal. It sends in short bursts, on and off, so it can receive when it is not sending.

Nov 11, 2010

The GE Mac 1200 ECG at the Perfect Price!

An ECG sensor has a very heavy workload in modern medicine. Used all over the world, the ECG or electrocardiogram measures the electrical activity of the heart and can point the way towards a wide range of different issues with the main blood pump of the body.

The heart beats in a regular rhythm to pump blood throughout the body. It does this by contracting one area of itself to force blood out while another area relaxes to let blood in. The rhythm is kept up by the natural pacemaker of the heart known as the sinoatrial node. This node sends out electrical impulses that keep the heart beating regularly.

The electrical signals can be measured and tracked, allowing doctors to follow the rhythm of the heart and determine if there are any issues. In an ECG test, the electrical impulses made while the heart is beating are recorded and usually shown on a piece of paper. This is known as an electrocardiogram, and records any problems with the heart's rhythm, and the process of heart beat through the heart, which may reveal underlying issues.

An ECG sensor is what actually reads the electrical impulse being generated by the heart and allows that signal to be recorded and tracked. Usually ECG's are done when people are having trouble breathing, chest pain, or feeling like their own heart beat is abnormal. One of the most common usages of an ECG is to look for evidence of coronary disease in the arteries. The one problem, however, is that for a number of patients the ECG recording at rest can be normal while it might be abnormal during exercise. Because of this, there are ways to do ECG's while a patient is exercising.

ECG's can show a number of different things. They'll show if a patient has had a heart attack, the impact heart medicines might be having on the heart, or if the heart has a slow or fast rhythm. The test can prove thickening of the heart muscle itself from chronic high blood pressure or even if there are too few minerals in the blood. ECG's are non invasive, mostly comfortable (though some patients don't enjoy the exercise part of the stress ECG's) and easy to administer. All in all a very impressive result from such a common ECG sensor.

Nov 9, 2010

Introducing the Quinton Q4500 EKG/Stress Monitor

Have you been looking for a great deal on the Quinton Q4500 EKG/Stress Monitor but find it to be a little too expensive for you? Look no further than Davis Medical to get you this great machine at the best price! Here are some general benefits and trademarks of this system:

  • Design Your Display Format
  • The Quinton Q4500 gives you more flexibility in determining the appearance of the display during the stress test. Select from eight standard audio and/or visual alarms and pre-set them based on your patient's particular threshold levels.
  • Filters for Cleaner Traces
  • The Q4500 uses digital filters that dramatically reduce muscle artifact and baseline wander on your live ECG tracings.
  • Customize Your In-test Reports The Q4500 lets you design your in-test reports in a variety of ways.
  • The Q4500 allows you to easily customize your reports in an almost unlimited number of combinations.
  • Pre-Edit during Your Patient's Recovery Now you can preview the final report and enter final report information while your patients are still in the recovery phase.
  • Customize Your Final Reports Like many other systems, the Q4500 lets you include a summary page, interpretation, tabular report, graph page, average beat, and worst case summary for your final reports.
  • For the graph section, select up to nine graph types, including a full ST/HR slope graph, HR x BP, systolic and diastolic BP, and more.



Nov 7, 2010

Stress Testing With the Quinton Q Stress Test Monitor

When a person is faced with a lot of duties, heavy responsibilities, influential life events and crisis, he is confronted with stress.  Stress is quite normal. In fact, it is beneficial. It keeps us focused and alert. However, too much stress is harmful. A stressed out person is vulnerable to illnesses. One of the most common and the most dangerous effects of too much stress is heart disease.  Unfortunately, many people ignore the symptoms until it is too late and they get sick. They might not even know that they are stressed and think that what they are feeling will just pass away. That is why doctors recommend people to take a stress test.

A stress test is also called a treadmill test or exercise test. Through a stress test, a doctor can find out how your heart is working amidst an increased workload or physical effort.  The test makes the body work harder than it should. This means the body will require more oxygen. Therefore, the heart will beat faster to pump more blood and deliver more oxygen to the cells. The stress test will then determine if there is an increased blood supply in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. It also helps the doctors determine what sort of exercise is needed for a patient.  A stress test starts with the doctor asking a person about his health background. The doctor also asks him about his work and how he is feeling. Next, medical sensor pads are placed on the patient's body and hooked up to a heart monitoring equipment. The patient then steps up on a treadmill and walks slowly.

The speed of the treadmill is increased, making the patient walk at a much faster place. Furthermore, the treadmill also inclines gradually. In effect, it is as if the patient is walking up a small hill. The person is also asked to breathe into a tube.  During the test, heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and electrocardiogram is measured and monitored.  When the person is exhausted, he can tell the doctor to stop the machine. The patient's heart and blood pressure is also checked after the machine is stopped.  Medical professionals are usually present when during the stress test. While the stress test might involve very little risk for healthy people, doctors don't take chances when the test is administered to stressed-out people. Medical assistants are usually present to handle emergencies that may happen.  Stress tests are used to diagnose possible or existing heart diseases, determine a safe level of exercise and to find out if the patient is in danger of heart disease in the midst of stress.

Nov 5, 2010

Why You Need a Stress Test with Philips Stressvue Demo With Treadmill!

There are a lot of people out there who really need to take a cardiac stress test but who are just not aware of it. This is why it is so important for you to take the time to learn about cardiac stress tests, what they are, and when they would be necessary in your life. This could just save your life, and so it is important to recognize when one would be needed in your own life.

Of course first it is important to learn about what a cardiac stress test really is, and why the result would ever be helpful. It is a certain test that is used, and which is mainly performed on a treadmill. This test is basically used to determine the amount of stress that the heart can take, to see how good of condition the heart is in and whether or not it is being affected by the stress that the person is dealing with in their life.

A cardiac stress test works because as your body continues to work harder and harder during the test, the heart has to pump more blood and so your doctor is going to be able to see whether or not your body is able to keep up with this. If not, then chances are that your heart is just not in good enough condition and so they are going to want to do something about it to get it stronger and working better.

Keep in mind that there are several things you may be asked during this, and which you should not be surprised about. You are going to be walking on a treadmill and they may even ask you to breathe into a tube for a few minutes, but this is not always necessary, so you shouldn't be surprised either way.

During the test your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure are all going to be monitored, and you are going to know the results once it is completed.

If anything does need to be done once you have completed the stress test, your doctor is going to be able to talk with you and make sure that you are together going to find the right treatment and get your body in the best shape, just as it should be, and then will probably perform another stress test a few months down the road to note any improvement.

Nov 3, 2010

GE Vivid S5 for Ultra Class Ultrasound!

With the ever changing technology, hospitals and clinics have been forced to update their medical ultrasound equipment many times, as to follow the new technologies. Acquiring such equipment is a big step – there are many providers but prices and delivery options can sometimes be a real puzzle for hospital managers and clinic owners. Davis Medical is proud to be able to simplify the process of acquiring those machines. A leader in providing medical ultrasound equipment and many other medical supplies, Davis Medical is the best company to affiliate yourself with if you are looking to purchase new or used ultrasound equipment or starting up a new medical office.

Davis Medical offers a very wide array of products, which are separated in 8 distinct categories: Radiation Therapy, Medical Physics, X-ray, Nuclear Medicine & PET, Mammography, Ultrasound, CT and MRI. Davis Medical also offers exclusive products like Multisource, ArcCHECK, Prone Breast System and Relax&View DvD. Whether you are looking for a machine such as scanners [dosimetry], ultrasound gels, dose calibrator or even some positioning aids, CSP Medical is sure to be able to help to advise you and sell you the right product for your medical office.

The majority of the products offered by Davis Medical are basic items that are essential in any health environment but that are, for some reason, hard to come by from many other providers. CSP is dedicated to offer quality products from well-known brands such as RTI, Inc, Gammex, Leeds Test Objects, Sun Nuclear Corporation and others. When buying from Davis Medical, you know you will get your product at the best price, from the best brand, delivered on time and where you want it to be.



Nov 1, 2010

Philips Pagewriter TC30 Just for Your Company!

The ECG unit is a diagnostic tool which measures and informs about the heart's conditions in details. Besides monitoring the working conditions of the heart, it also helps in determining the traveling of the electrical impulses across the heart and aids in the identification of abnormalities in them. The use of this machine is even better when the patients show particular symptoms which include irregular heart beat, hard breathing or chest pains. A few decades ago this machine was restricted to hospitals only primarily because of its size and complexity in handling. But with rapid advancement in technology it has undergone drastic transformation and its size has been reduced to handheld portable devices which can be used by layman with perfect ease.

The ECG equipments and supplies that you get on online medical stores come in diverse models with sophisticated features. They are equipped with LCD monitors and alphanumeric keyboard along with internal loudspeaker. They have auto analyzing and diagnostic software used for the purpose of interpretation, standard internal memory and upgraded recording paper. They are further enhanced with built in rechargeable lithium battery and thermal printer. You also get the standard accessories of these electrocardiogram equipments like ECG cables, suction and clamp electrodes, power cords, fuse and rechargeable lithium batteries.

Online medical stores, such as Davis Medical, are the best places to purchase the ECG equipments and supplies as you can get them at discountable rates with complete kit including user manual, quick reference card and user guide for interpretation. To purchase these machines you just need to log on to the websites of the medical stores. These online stores have a list of the ECG equipments and keep all the essential information like features, descriptions, discounts, specifications, warranty, etc. All these information are presented in a very straightforward manner. Also through the online medical stores it is easy to search, find and order the products one is looking for.