Interfacing the IBM-PC to Medical Equipment: The Art of Serial Communication

This book describes the techniques used for interfacing a PC to a range of medical equipment used internationally in the areas of anesthesia, intensive care, surgery, respiratory medicine and physiology. The first part of the book addresses serial interface, including the RS-232 Standard, transmission of data, and an introduction to serial-interface programming using Microsoft QuickBASIC. The second looks at electrical safety, and the use of Kermit and data analysis. Finally, the third part of this volume considers the practical aspects of interfacing a PC to a wide range of equipment and includes example programs for collecting data and in some cases for controlling the equipment directly.