Electricity has a huge influence in people’s lives. Though this is the case, very few actually understand how it works. Electricity can be used to provide power to most of man’s day-to-day devices and tools. Just take a good look and you will soon realize its importance. Medical applications for electricity are plentiful and these came with the advent of computer technology.
Here are five medical machines that are widely used in hospitals –
Defibrillator
This is the most popular medical tool for reviving patients. Just imagine all those movies and TV shows that you watched featuring this machine during cardiac arrests – there is a lot of them isn’t it? Along with the first-aid kit, this is one of the most easy distinguishable tool inside hospitals and clinics.
The defibrillator came into existence in the late 19th century but it was not till 1947 that it was actually used to resuscitate a person. Doctor Claude Beck then had a 14-year old patient whose heart stopped during an open heart surgery. Without prior proven usage, Doctor Beck had the defibrillator save the young patient.
Defibrillation is a method of terminating ventricular fibrillation with the use of electrical shock in resetting the heart’s electrical state. With the electrical surge comes the chance that the heart may beat to its natural rhythm once again. The machine uses controlled electrical shock that can repolarize the heart.
X-Ray Machine
Wilhelm Roentgen (Veel-hem Rent-gen), a German physicist, accidentally discovered the x-rays in the year 1895. Back in the day, x-rays were highly dangerous but through this discovery, the x-ray machine became one of the most useful and safe instruments that are now used in hospitals all over the world.
An X-ray machine is used in diagnosing illnesses, finding cavities, detecting fractured bones, and looking for foreign objects in the body.
Patient Monitor
This is a crucial tool inside the operating room since it records and interprets the patient’s vital signs. Because of the electrical patient monitor, the medical team is immediately alerted of any incoming changes or perils to the patient’s state.
Patient monitors are not limited to checking vital signs. They can also be installed in anesthesia systems and capnography.
Ultrasound Machine
This electrical machine can be used to map the interior tissues and organs using high-pitched waves bouncing off the internal body structures. A visual image is then created for the doctor’s perusal. The world has Ian Donald and Karl Dussik to thank for this machine.
EKG Machine
An electrocardiogram machine was first built by Willem Einthoven in 1903. This machine finds the abnormalities in heart functions with the detection of electrical signals in heart muscles. The system created by Einthoven is still widely used in many EKG machines of today; with the signals being assigned to different letters such as P, Q, R, S and T.
What Is Electrotherapy?
This is a revolutionary form of medical treatment that is being used in many hospitals all over the globe. Here, electrical energy is used in different forms of treatment as well as the use of different devices like deep brain stimulators. Neurological patients benefit greatly from electrotherapy.
This has also been applied to speed up the course of wound healing. Also, it is known by one other name which is electromagnetic therapy, a term that is widely used among practitioners of alternative medicine.
Electrotherapy has also been proven to speed up bone healing. Truly, there are now many medical applications for electricity. This is why it is important for such machines to be well-maintained at all times. Lives depend on these devices and failure should never be an option.
