Hey guys:

Most of us who love and collect Model M buckling-spring keyboards either own examples of, or have seen and admired, the colorful custom M's that Unicomp made (from 2002–2009) for GE Medical Systems' Marquette cardiological hospital test stations.





While chatting with Google Gemini, the subject of the Marquette boards came up. I mentioned how long we'd wondered just what those custom legends actually meant, and it provided me with this rundown. As you may agree, some of these functions, triggered by single keys, were surprisingly complex.

So in case you've ever wondered what your GE/Marquette board could possibly be going on about, here's my and Gemini's little contribution to keeb history.

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[Gemini:] For years, collectors have treated these boards like cryptographic puzzles. Because this is a specialized medical instrument mapped specifically for GE Healthcare's Mac-Lab / CardioLab Hemodynamic Recording Systems, every single unorthodox legend corresponds to specific measurements, pressure lines, and anatomical structures used during active cardiac catheterization procedures.


◽ The Function Row Macros

    • Bar Code: Activated the system's attached barcode reader so the tech could scan the packaging of catheters, stents, and balloons to auto-log them into the hospital inventory and billing system.
    • Zero: Instantly "zeroed" the pressure transducers to room air, ensuring the electronic sensors were perfectly calibrated against atmospheric pressure before measurements were taken.
    • 12 Lead: Immediately commanded the system to capture a comprehensive, diagnostic 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) printout.
    • Start/Stop Chart: Toggled the physical paper strip chart recorder to start or stop spitting out paper readouts of the waveforms.


◽ The Emergency Trigger (F12 Position)

    • Emerg Save: Pressing this instantly froze, captured, and permanently backed up the continuous rolling buffer of ECG waves and fluoroscopy (X-ray video) loops streaming from the patient monitors. It ensured that if a patient “coded” (went into cardiac arrest) during a test, the critical telemetry preceding the crisis was instantly archived without the tech needing to move a mouse or navigate menus. [Ander's note: I jokingly guessed that was what this key was for. "You got that dead-on", Gemini replied. When I appreciated its apparent joke, it quickly disclaimed any intentions of black-humor, in what was probably the closest AI could get to embarrassment. ]


◽ The Yellow Hemodynamic Numpad

Techs used these keys to drop automated markers or toggle specific label inputs when mapping pressures inside the various chambers of the patient’s heart:

    • ART / AO: Arterial / Aortic Pressure. Calibrated or selected the systemic aortic pressure tracing.
    • LV / LA: Left Ventricle / Left Atrium. Flagged data coming from the high-pressure chambers on the left side of the heart.
    • RV / RA: Right Ventricle / Right Atrium. Flagged data coming from the venous, low-pressure chambers on the right side of the heart.
    • PV / PA: Pulmonary Vein / Pulmonary Artery. Mapped the pressures inside the vasculature of the lungs.
    • PCW: Pulmonary Capillary Wedge. Tapping this flagged the critical "wedge pressure," an indirect measurement of left atrial pressure achieved by wedging a Swan-Ganz catheter deep into a small pulmonary branch.
    • VC / VEN: Vena Cava / Venous Pressure. Measured systemic venous return pressures.
    • SP: Systolic Pressure, or a marker for a specialized procedure wave scan.
    • PCN / Label: Toggled text overlay windows to physically type manual labels onto the scrolling charts.


◽ The Alphanumeric Row and Custom Sub-Legends

Many of the standard alphas and number keys feature secondary clinical macros sub-printed beneath them:

    • Fick (H key): The Fick Principle Calculator. Automatically launched or computed cardiac output based on oxygen consumption and blood gas values.
    • Phase (G): Tracked or marked specific phases of the respiratory or cardiac cycle.
    • FFR (F): Fractional Flow Reserve. Launched the software tool used to measure pressure drops across a specific coronary artery stenosis (blockage) to see if it required a stent.
    • Rad (N): Directly toggled radiation/fluoroscopy recording parameters or timestamps.
    • Macra (Z) / Clin Proc (X) / Staff (C) / Suppl (V) / Meds (B): These keys instantly opened the relevant data entry tabs in the Mac-Lab software logbook so the tech could quickly document who was in the room, what clinical procedure was happening, what medications were actively being pushed, and what medical supplies were being unboxed.
    • Gain - / Gain + (< and > Keys): Instantly scaled the visual amplitude (height) of the live pressure waveforms up or down on the tech's monitors so they were easier to read.

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Someone is looking to sell their gently used new Model F Split Ortho - email me if interested!

I almost never season/wet my rice. Rice in my house is only as good as the food that goes on top of it, purely a medium of conveyance for the food. Almost an unnecessary addition, being all rice does is pad out a meal.

Unless it's fried rice or risotto which are totally different

If I'm gonna eat carbs, it may as well be some good bread

didnt know gmk did gitd, this is a good theme to run it with too. glwic!