Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
from very complex large-scale constructs, such as hospital information systems, to the
creation of relatively small and “simple” devices, such as recording electrodes and trans-
ducers used to monitor the activity of specific physiological processes.
The American health care system, therefore, encompasses many problems that represent
challenges to certain members of the engineering profession, called biomedical engineers.
Since biomedical engineering involves applying the concepts, knowledge, and approaches of
virtually all engineering disciplines (e.g., electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering) to
solve specific health care-related problems, the opportunities for interaction between engi-
neers and health care professionals are many and varied.
Although what is included in the field of biomedical engineering is considered by many
to be quite clear, many conflicting opinions concerning the field can be traced to disagree-
ments about its definition. For example, consider the terms
biomedical engineering
,
bioengi-
neering
,
biological engineering,
and
clinical
(or
medical
)
engineer
, which are defined in the
Bioengineering Education Directory
as the broad umbrella
term used to describe this entire field, bioengineering is usually defined as a basic-research-
oriented activity closely related to biotechnology and genetic engineering—that is, the mod-
ification of animal or plant cells or parts of cells to improve plants or animals or to develop
new microorganisms for beneficial ends. In the food industry, for example, this has meant
the improvement of strains of yeast for fermentation. In agriculture, bioengineers may be
concerned with the improvement of crop yields by treatment plants with organisms to
reduce frost damage. It is clear that bioengineers for the future will have tremendous
impact on the quality of human life. The full potential of this specialty is difficult to image.
Typical pursuits include the following:
. While Pacela defined
bioengineering
The development of improved species of plants and animals for food production
The invention of new medical diagnostic tests for diseases
The production of synthetic vaccines from clone cells
Bioenvironmental engineering to protect human, animal, and plant life from toxicants
and pollutants
The study of protein-surface interactions
Modeling of the growth kinetics of yeast and hybridoma cells
Research in immobilized enzyme technology
The development of therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies
appears to have the most comprehensive meaning. Bio-
medical engineers apply electrical, chemical, optical, mechanical, and other engineering
principles to understand, modify, or control biological (i.e., human and animal) systems.
When a biomedical engineer works within a hospital or clinic, he or she is more properly
called a
The term
biomedical engineering
. However, this theoretical distinction is not always observed in
practice, since many professionals working within U.S. hospitals today continue to be called
biomedical engineers.
The breadth of activity of biomedical engineers is significant. The field has moved signif-
icantly from being concerned primarily with the development of medical devices in the
1950s and 1960s to include a more wide-ranging set of activities. As shown in Figure 1.9,
the field of biomedical engineering now includes many new career areas:
clinical engineer
