Medical measurements have a long tradition at PTB, but they have an even greater future as the development towards quantitative and individualized medicine represents a great challenge for metrology. The measurements have to be accurate and reliable, and they have to create confidence. This is where PTB has its core competence. PTB ensures the traceability of many important measurement procedures required, for example, by the EU's In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Directive, but also by the German Medical Devices Act. With its measurement capabilities, PTB is the world leader in this field. According to the Measures and Verification Act, it is the only notified body in Germany to carry out type examinations of sound level meters. With its statutory mandate, PTB also plays an important role in dosimetry. Metrology is indispensable for one of the most important developments in medicine: the trend towards an increasing number of quantitative measurements. PTB is at the forefront of this research, for example, in the field of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. Here, the aim is to make the measurements more and more reliable and comprehensible. In this extremely complex interdisciplinary field, intensive collaborations with suggestions and ideas coming from all participants are essential. Therefore, PTB wishes to further intensify its existing good contacts with physicians, hospitals and the medical technology industry. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact us!
A key component of calibration facilities for traceability tasks is a secondary calibration method, which provides a way to transfer the calibration results obtained in a well-equipped standard laboratory to practical devices in the field. At PTB a sound tube apparatus has been developed, which enables this transfer for measurement devices for airborne infrasound.
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