Medical diagnostic test equipment is an integral part of the healthcare industry. It helps in diagnosing various medical conditions and thus provides a better treatment option. It also helps doctors detect the underlying cause of a disease and thus, can help improve the quality of life. Medical diagnostic test equipment includes X-ray machines, sonography machines, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanners, CT scanners, and many more.
These devices are very useful in detecting the diseases at an early stage so that they can be treated early enough to avoid any further complications. Below are some of the top medical diagnostic test equipment.
Top 10 Medical Diagnostic Test Equipment
1. Stethoscopes
Stethoscopes are the most well-known of all medical diagnostic instruments. A stethoscope can be used to listen to heart, lung, and intestine noises, as well as blood flow in arteries and veins. It is typically used to measure blood pressure with a manual sphygmomanometer. The following conditions can be diagnosed with a stethoscope:
- Arrhythmia
- Bronchitis
- Heart palpitations
- Heart disease
- Heart valve issues
- Pneumonia
2. X-ray machines
X-rays are used to diagnose various health issues, including bone fractures and soft tissue injuries. This device uses ionizing radiation to create images of internal organs like the heart, lungs, and abdomen on film or digital media. An X-ray image may show foreign objects such as broken bones or metal implants inside the body. But it cannot reveal soft tissues such as tumors or blood clots that cause cardiovascular diseases like stroke or heart attack.
3. Blood Analyzer
Blood tests include complete blood count (CBC), blood typing and cross-matching, liver function test (LFT), and kidney function test (KFT). Blood tests are used to diagnose many conditions such as anemia (low levels of iron), anemia due to hemolytic disease of newborns (HDN), iron deficiency anemia (IDA), etc.
Hematology analyzers are highly specialized computers that count the amount of red and white blood cells, blood platelets, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels in a blood sample. They include programmable automated alarm systems that signal outcomes that are out of the reference range.
4. Urine Analyzer
A urine analyzer is a device that does automatic urine testing in a clinical context. Bilirubin, protein, glucose, and red blood cells are among the analytes that the units can detect and quantify. Urine strip readers, a form of reflectance photometer that can process hundreds of strips per hour, are found in several models.
Urine tests include a urine culture, urine microscopy, urine protein electrophoresis, etc. Urine is collected from the patient in a sterile container and then tested for various parameters such as glucose concentration, protein concentration, etc. Urine tests are used to diagnose various urinary tract infections like cystitis, urethritis, etc.
5. Blood pressure monitors
This is used to measure blood pressure in the heart and arteries by inflating a cuff around a patient’s arm, restricting blood flow through the artery near the elbow joint (brachial artery). Then, a stethoscope-like device called oscillometric sphygmomanometer senses arterial pulse waves produced as blood flows past it during each heartbeat (systolic phase) before returning back into the heart during the diastole phase).
6. Spirometers
Used to measure lung function to diagnose obstructive lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, or restrictive. This equipment measures lung function by measuring air passage into and out of the lungs. The spirogram will identify two different types of abnormal ventilation patterns, obstructive and restrictive.
The main piece of equipment used for basic Pulmonary Function Tests is a spirometer (PFTs). The tests can rule out lung illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. A spirometer is also commonly used to determine the cause of shortness of breath, examine the influence of pollutants on lung function, assess the effect of medication, and evaluate the disease treatment progress.
Spirometers come in various shapes and sizes and can measure in various ways (pressure transducers, ultrasonic, water gauge).
7. Incubator
In a laboratory, an incubator is a piece of equipment that is used to cultivate and maintain microbiological or cell cultures. The incubator maintains the ideal temperature, humidity, and other variables inside, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen content. The most basic incubators are enclosed boxes with an adjustable heater that can reach temperatures of 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Specific factors such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 provide a regulated, contamination-free environment for laboratory incubators’ safe and reliable work with cell and tissue cultures. Bacterial cultures are stored and grown in laboratory incubators.
8. ELISA Reader/Microplate reader
Elisa readers, also known as microplate readers or microplate photometers, are devices that detect biological, chemical, or physical phenomena in microtiter plates. ELISA stands for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In a nutshell, it’s an antibody test or an immune response test for things that attack the body, like viruses, bacteria, and allergies. An ELISA plate, also known as a 96-well plate or microplate, is used for the test. An ELISA reader reads the plate.
9. Immunoassay analyzer
An immunoassay analyzer is a machine that performs biochemical tests automatically in hospitals and laboratories. Cancer markers, infectious disease diagnosis, cardiac analysis, therapeutic medication monitoring, and allergy testing are all tests that immunoassay analyzers may conduct. An immunoassay analyzer can process a sample in two ways: random sampling and continuous access sampling.
For microparticle enzymes, ion capture, fluorescence polarization, and chemiluminescence, the samples are subjected to various immunoassay assays. When selecting an immunoassay analyzer, it is critical to examine the types of reagents required for various sorts of tests. Immunoassay analyzers and fully automated hematology analyzers are among the more expensive diagnostic laboratory instruments.
10. Ophthalmoscopes
Ophthalmoscopes are handheld instruments that allow a doctor to see inside a patient’s fundus. This diagnostic instrument is frequently utilized in physical or outpatient tests. The pupil is a hole through which the inside of the eye can be seen. Dilating the pupil (opening it wider) is a simple and effective approach to better examine the structures behind it.
As a result, medicated eye drops are frequently used to dilate the pupil (mydriasis) before funduscopy. Although a dilated fundus examination is ideal, an undilated fundus examination is more convenient and useful (albeit not as thorough) and is the most prevalent type in primary care.Fundus photography is an alternative or supplement to ophthalmoscopy, and a specialist can analyze the image afterward. Ophthalmoscopes can help diagnose:
- Bacterial infections
- Detached retinas4
- Glaucoma
Conclusion
In the field of medicine, diagnostic tests are often carried out to determine a condition or ailment. Diagnostic tests may be used to evaluate signs and symptoms, detect diseases or conditions, and monitor the course of a disease. Health care providers use the results of these tests to diagnose patients’ conditions. In addition, Medical diagnostic equipment can be purchased individually or as part of a suite of diagnostic tools. When buying medical diagnostic equipment, it is important to consider your needs and how you plan on using it.
