Automated Gastro-enterological Diagnostics:
Measuring System for Stomach Medicine

The automated system for in-situ measuring of the pH level of the gastric juice has several advantages comparing with traditional juice sampling followed by laboratory titration. It allows:

• to speed up gastro-enterological diagnostics process,
• to investigate the occurrence and spatial development of the refluxes of gastric juice into gullet or bile into stomach,
• pētīt telpisko sadalījumu kuņģa sulas atplūdiem barības vadā vai kuņģa žultī,
• to perform [algorithmic] examination actions indicating the response (incl. temporal!) of the secretion on the stimulating/blocking influences.

An innovative system ST-12 for the diagnostics of gullet and stomach secretion has been developed by joint effort of the authors. The automated pH–metric system ST-12 consists of

• probes with 1, 2 or 3 pH-sensors,
• data collection, signal processing and conversion unit, forming the binary output,
• process steering, data processing and organising software FiStoMach.

The interface unit is developed as either stationary pH–metric measuring device suitable for examination of up to 8 patients or individual compact pH–metric recorder.

The software system is developed for either free (i.e. user-prescribed) examination session or for two original (patented) algorithmic diagnostics methods, developed by Latvian physicians. Algorithmic diagnostic methods guide an examiner through the examination process informing him about necessary application of stimulating/blocking medicaments or provoking actions. The diagnostics of patient are mathematically formalised, defined by unequivocal algorithm and included in software. The generation of the examination summary and diagnosis is possible on-line or during post-processing.

Simultaneous examination of 1 to 8 patients is allowed by stationary pH–metric system, whilst portable pH – metric recorder is designed for long-term (up to 1 day) examination of single patient outside the diagnostic centre.

The development of the system was a joint effort of the multi-disciplinary team of physicians, electronic engineers, physicists, chemists, and software engineers. The authors acknowledge the people from different institutions (Medical Academy of Latvia, University of Latvia, “Legedy”, Ltd., “Baltic Instruments”, Ltd., “Center of Processes’ Analysis and Research”, Ltd.) involved in the project, as well as Latvian Ministry of Education and Science for co-funding the project.

Screenshot of the software FiStoMach