Electrocardiomultigraphimeter as a basic instrument for developing effective personal computing in cardiology

The question is posed as to whether personal medical computing can help significantly and efficiently in the development of `new¿¿ instruments. The scientific and economic criteria for considering an instrument as `new¿¿ are given; certain conditions are set out which, when confirmed, could lead to `new¿¿ instrumentation being developed from the personal computer, with better results than those produced by the microprocessor alone. In the early 1980s, appropriate conditions appear to apply in the area of electrocardiography. The `new¿¿ instrument proposed, called an `electrocardiomultigraphimeter¿¿, contains specific characteristics and performance which represent an advance on automatic diagnostic facilities, as well as the latest microprocessor-based electrocardiographs. Its field of application appears to be clinical research; its overall performance could be further extended to meet certain criteria of great significance for all medical departments geared to the care of many patients. The electrocardiomultigraphimeter hardware still presents certain snags - an example being the resolution of the unsatisfactory graphics capabilities. However, this is common to most current personal computers.