Data acquisition and information processing in MDO oxygen electrode measurement of tissue oxygen pressure.

In 1956, CLARK presented the principle for the modern, membrane-covered, oxygen electrode, comprising the anode and the cathode within the same unit. A further development was the MDO (Mehrdraht Dortmund Oberfläche) oxygen electrode presented by LUBBERS & KESSLER during the 1960s. This electrode comprises eight separate measuring points for collecting statistical samples to calculate tissue oxygen pressure fields. In order to perform studies on humans and to enable fast presentation of measurement results, a system was developed including a PDP 11/03 D computer, which fulfils patient safety demands. The computer program included corrections for electrode drift and temperature influences, as well as statistical calculations including mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis. Also included was the two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for comparison of tissue oxygen distributions. Experience from studies on humans has shown that the measurement system enables us to collect and read important patient data directly at the bedside in the intensive care ward.