A patient is undergoing open heart surgery

  • Thread starter Thread starter wanted1
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Heart
AI Thread Summary
A sustained current of 25 microAmps (uA) through the heart can be fatal, and with a heart resistance of 250 Ohms, the minimum dangerous voltage is calculated to be 6.25 milliVolts (mV) or 0.00625 Volts. There was some confusion regarding the units used, particularly whether resistance was in Ohms and current in microAmps. One participant calculated the voltage using a different method, arriving at 1/160 V, which is equivalent to 0.00625 V. Clarification on unit usage is advised to avoid misunderstandings. Accurate communication of electrical parameters is crucial in medical contexts.
wanted1
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
1 - a patient is undergoing open heart surgery . A sustained current as small as 25 muA passing through the heart can be fatal . Assme that the heart has a constant resistonce of 250 ; detrmine the mininum voltage that poses a danger to the parient .

v= 25 X 250 = 6250
 
Physics news on Phys.org
wanted1 said:
1 - a patient is undergoing open heart surgery . A sustained current as small as 25 muA passing through the heart can be fatal . Assme that the heart has a constant resistonce of 250 ; detrmine the mininum voltage that poses a danger to the parient .

v= 25 X 250 = 6250

You need to use proper units in order for your question and answer to be unambiguous. What are the units for resistance? Ohms? What are muA? Does this mean microAmps, or milli-microAmps, or milli-uA (whatever a uA is)? What are the unit for your final answer? Volts, milliVolts or microVolts?

I'll assume that you asking the following ...

"A sustained current of 25 microAmps can be fatal. If the heart has a resistance of 250 Ohms, determine the minimum voltage that can kill.

V = 25 uA x 250 Ohms = 6250 uA = 6.25 milliVolts = 0.00624 Volts.
 
Hi

but I find the answer lile this ??

25 X 250 X(1/10^6) = 1 /160 V

why the answer not as your ?
 
wanted1 said:
Hi

but I find the answer lile this ??

25 X 250 X(1/10^6) = 1 /160 V

why the answer not as your ?

You do get the same answer because 1/160 V is equal to 0.00625 V. (I have a typo in my above post: 0.00624 V should be 0.00625 V)

I would still recommend a little better clarity on your expression. It's not clear if you are using 25 Amps and 250 microOhms, or 26 microAmps and 250 Ohms. Obviously, it's the latter, but the way you write it can confuse someone.
 
TL;DR Summary: I came across this question from a Sri Lankan A-level textbook. Question - An ice cube with a length of 10 cm is immersed in water at 0 °C. An observer observes the ice cube from the water, and it seems to be 7.75 cm long. If the refractive index of water is 4/3, find the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. I could not understand how the apparent height of the ice cube in the water depends on the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. Does anyone have an...
Thread 'Variable mass system : water sprayed into a moving container'
Starting with the mass considerations #m(t)# is mass of water #M_{c}# mass of container and #M(t)# mass of total system $$M(t) = M_{C} + m(t)$$ $$\Rightarrow \frac{dM(t)}{dt} = \frac{dm(t)}{dt}$$ $$P_i = Mv + u \, dm$$ $$P_f = (M + dm)(v + dv)$$ $$\Delta P = M \, dv + (v - u) \, dm$$ $$F = \frac{dP}{dt} = M \frac{dv}{dt} + (v - u) \frac{dm}{dt}$$ $$F = u \frac{dm}{dt} = \rho A u^2$$ from conservation of momentum , the cannon recoils with the same force which it applies. $$\quad \frac{dm}{dt}...

Similar threads

Back
Top