PubMed1979
On the basis of two examples of projects being realized in the department of physiology in Graz the use of engineering methods in physiological research is demonstrated. The first example presents a survey of the use of system-theoretical methods for the investigation of overall regulation of circulation under working conditions. Using two test-signals (impulse input, random input) for experimental identification, the impulse response of heart-rate to changes in work load was obtained. The impulse responses of the volunteers were then characterized by a set of three parameters, allowing statistical evaluation, classification for diagnostic means and verification of hypotheses. The second example deals with an investigation of the signal structure of ultrasound-CW-Doppler-systems. Basing on the general Doppler-principle, which is already in use in angiology it was tried to quantify the determinants of the audio-signal, describing it by statistical functions and by experiments on simple models (tube-models). The goal of the experiments is a quantitative assessment of volume-flow and an enhancement of information about the scattering medium (rheological properties of blood).