ekonsil-logo


Ballistocardiograph

ICD-9 Search for Ballistocardiograph




Go to comments for Ballistocardiograph

Definition from OMD (Online Medical Dictionary):

ballistocardiograph

Instrument for taking a ballistocardiogram, consisting either of a moving table suspended from the ceiling, or of an apparatus that rests upon the patient"s body, usually on the shins, together with a graphic recording system.

(05 Mar 2000)



Ballistocardiograph or BCG detects and measures recoil of the human body due to the momentum of the blood that the heart is currently pumping.

To be more specific a BCG measures the impact of blood colliding with aortic arch, which causes the body to have an upward thrust, then the downward thrust of the blood descending.

One Example of the use of a BCG is a ballistocardiographic scale, which measures the recoil of the persons body who is on the scale. A BCG scale is able to show a persons Heart rate as well as their weight.

The term ballistocardiograph originated from the Roman ballista, which is derived from the Greek word ballein (to throw), a machine for launching missiles, plus the Greek word for heart and writing.






Next Page   |   Top



This article is based on an article from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and is available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.



In the Wikipedia there is a list with all authors of this article available.


Add Comment / Question


Comments for Ballistocardiograph:

No Comments found for Ballistocardiograph