[Signal detection by analog/digital conversion using personal computers. III: Examples from general practice and organizational aspects].

Abstract

Technical and organisational aspects of the setup of an analog/digital conversion are discussed in the light of two clinical reference installations. The first example deals with a closed loop regulation system used to control a cardio-surgical intervention. This setup works with repeated turns of acquisition and evaluation. The second example describes a comprehensive haemodynamic beat-by-beat analysis, involving data acquisition from FM-coded tape, preprocessing on the PC, file transfer to a mainframe and a detailed statistical and graphical evaluation within the package SAS. Special attention is given to certain technical issues and to criteria of performance. Finally, setup procedures are suggested which may help in the avoidance of certain insufficiencies which are likely to occur in a first attempt to establish A/D conversion within clinical research projects.