Real time data acquisition and analysis of cardiovascular experiments in dogs

A hardware-software system is described which enables physiologists to utilize the DEC PDP-ll computer for data acquisition and analysis in the real-time experimental environment. The system allows for A/D conversion of up to 16 physiological parameters, as well as various calculations based upon these parameters such as heart rate, cardiac work, and derivatives and integrals of ventricular tension and pressure. By using a push-button box, the investigator can request a display of the parameters just acquired, a graphic display summarizing the results of the experiment up to the time of request, and also change various parameters such as gain factors, names of stages and erasures. At the end of the experiment, the computer prints a table summarizing the course of the experiment. A data file is written in a standardized format containing the essential data obtained during the experiment.