Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
description. The first type, the most common, might be called the “problem solver.” This
biomedical engineer (most likely the clinical engineer or biomedical design engineer) main-
tains the traditional service relationship with the life scientists who originate a problem that
can be solved by applying the specific expertise of the engineer. For this problem-solving
process to be efficient and successful, however, some knowledge of each other's language
and a ready interchange of information must exist. Biomedical engineers must understand
the biological situation to apply their judgment and contribute their knowledge toward
the solution of the given problem, as well as to defend their methods in terms that the
life scientist can understand. If they are unable to do these things, they do not merit the
“biomedical” appellation.
The second type, which is less common, could be called the “technological entrepreneur”
(most likely a biomedical design engineer in industry). This individual assumes that the
gap between the technological education of the life scientist or physician and the present
technological capability has become so great that the life scientist cannot pose a problem
that will incorporate the application of existing technology. Therefore, technological entre-
preneurs examine some portion of the biological or medical front and identify areas in
which advanced technology might be advantageous. Thus, they pose their own problem
and then proceed to provide the solution, at first conceptually and then in the form of hard-
ware or software. Finally, these individuals must convince the medical community that
they can provide a useful tool because, contrary to the situation in which problem solvers
find themselves, the entrepreneur's activity is speculative at best and has no ready-made
customer for the results. If the venture is successful, however, whether scientifically or com-
mercially, then an advance has been made much earlier than it would have been through
the conventional arrangement. Because of the nature of their work, technological entrepre-
neurs should have a great deal of engineering and medical knowledge as well as experience
in numerous medical systems.
The third type of biomedical engineer—the “engineer-scientist” (most likely found in
academic institutions and industrial research labs)—is primarily interested in applying
engineering concepts and techniques to the investigation and exploration of biological pro-
cesses. The most powerful tool at their disposal is the construction of an appropriate physi-
cal or mathematical model of the specific biological system under study. An example of this
relationship can be found in the study of cardiac function. The engineer-scientist may be
exploring the complexities of fluid flow through the incredible pump that is the human
heart. Mathematical models may be created to model the kinematics of the heart during
contraction and equations to define the behavior of fluid flow. Through simulation tech-
niques and available computing machinery, they can use this model to understand features
that are too complex for either analytical computation or intuitive recognition. In addition,
this process of simulation facilitates the design of appropriate experiments that can be
performed on the actual biological system. The results of these experiments can, in turn,
be used to amend the model. Thus, increased understanding of a biological mechanism
results from this iterative process.
This mathematical model can also predict the effect of these changes on a biological
system in cases where the actual experiments may be tedious, very difficult, or dangerous.
The researchers are thus rewarded with a better understanding of the biological system,
