The Site for Healthcare Professionals: About Biomedical Engineering..... ( Part 01 )

Introduction:

Biomedical Engineering or Bio-engineering or Medical Engineering are the similar terms for the application of engineering principles to the fields of Biology and Health care. Biomedical engineers are employed in the industry, in hospitals, in research facilities of educational and medical institutions, in teaching, and in government regulatory agencies. They work with Doctors, Therapists and Researchers to develop systems, equipment and devices in order to solve clinical problems and they may create designs where an in-depth understanding of living systems and of technology is essential.

Biomedical engineering focuses on the advances that improve human health and health care at all levels. There are many sub disciplines within biomedical engineering. Some of them are listed below:

Ø Design and development of active and passive medical devices,

Ø Orthopedic implants

Ø Medical imaging

Ø Biomedical signal processing

Ø Tissue and stem cell engineering

Ø Clinical engineering

Biomedical Engineers have developed a number of life-enhancing and life-saving technologies. These include:

· Prosthetics, such as dentures and artificial limb replacements.

· Surgical devices and systems, such as robotic and laser surgery.

· Systems to monitor vital signs and blood chemistry.

· Implanted devices, such as insulin pumps, pacemakers and artificial organs.

· Imaging methods, such as ultrasound, X-rays, particle beams and magnetic resonance.

· Diagnostics, such as lab-on-a-chip and expert systems.

· Therapeutic equipment and devices, such as kidney dialysis and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).

· Radiation therapy using particle beams and X-rays.

· Physical therapy devices, such as exercise equipment and wearable tech.

What Do Biomedical Engineers Do?

Biomedical engineering is an extremely broad field with many opportunities for specialization. Biomedical engineers work in a wide variety of settings and disciplines. There are opportunities in industry for innovating, designing, and developing new technologies; in academia furthering research and pushing the frontiers of what is medically possible as well as testing, implementing, and developing new diagnostic tools and medical equipment; and in government for establishing safety standards for medical devices.

Many biomedical engineers find employment in cutting-edge start-up companies or as entrepreneurs themselves.
In research institutions, biomedical engineers supervise laboratories and equipment, and participate in or direct research activities in collaboration with other researchers with such backgrounds as medicine, physiology, and nursing.
Tissue and stem cell engineers are working towards artificial recreation of human organs, aiding in transplants and helping millions around the world live better lives.
Experts in medical devices develop new implantable and external devices such as pacemakers, coronary stents, orthopedic implants, prosthetics, dental products, and ambulatory devices.
Clinical engineers work to ensure that medical equipment is safe and reliable for use in clinical settings. They may be involved in performance testing of new or proposed products. Government positions often involve product testing and safety, as well as establishing safety standards for devices.
In the hospital, the biomedical engineer may provide advice on the selection and use of medical equipment, as well as supervising its performance testing and maintenance.
They may also build customized devices for special health care or research needs.
Some biomedical engineers are technical advisers for marketing departments of companies and some are in management positions.
Some biomedical engineers also have advanced training in other fields. For example, many biomedical engineers also have an M.D. degree, thereby combing an understanding of advanced technology with direct patient care or clinical research.

The Future of Biomedical Engineering:

Economically speaking, medical diagnostics triple in market value each year. Revolutionary advances in medical imaging and medical diagnostics are changing the way medicine is practiced. New medical devices, arising in the research laboratories of biomedical engineers around the world, have completely altered the manner by which disease and trauma is dealt with by physicians, extending the quality and length of human life.

Ultimately, the future of biomedical engineering is tied to both the issues and obstacles, human discover and advances and achievements in fields like chemistry, materials science, and biology. Just as in most other fields, interdisciplinary means that innovation originates from many directions at the same time.

Duties of Biomedical Engineers:

The work of these engineers span many professional fields. Biomedical engineers typically do the followings:

Design equipment and devices, such as artificial internal organs, replacements for body parts, and machines for diagnosing medical problems.
Biomedical engineers design electrical circuits, software to run medical equipment, or computer simulations to test new drug therapies.
They design and build artificial body parts, such as hip and knee joints.
In some cases, they develop the materials needed to make the replacement body parts. They also design rehabilitative exercise equipment.
Design instruments, devices, and software used in healthcare; bring together knowledge from many technical sources to develop new procedures; or conduct research needed to solve clinical problems.
Since their expertise is based in engineering and biology, they often design computer software to run complicated instruments, such as three-dimensional x-ray machines.
Alternatively, many of these engineers use their knowledge of chemistry and biology to develop new drug therapies.
Others draw heavily on mathematics and statistics to build models to understand the signals transmitted by the brain or heart.
They do Installations, adjustments, maintenance, repairs, or provide technical support for biomedical equipment.
They evaluate the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of biomedical equipment.
Train clinicians and other personals on the proper use of medical equipment.
Work with life scientists, chemists, and medical scientists to research the engineering aspects of the biological systems of humans and animals.
They often serve a coordinating function, using their background in both engineering and medicine. For example, they may create products for which an in-depth understanding of living systems and technology is essential.
They frequently work in research and development or in quality assurance.
Prepare procedures, write technical reports, publish research papers, and make recommendations based on their research findings.
Present research findings to scientists, non-scientist executives, clinicians, hospital management, engineers, other colleagues, and the public.

What are the Specialization Areas?

Some of the well-established specialty areas within the field of biomedical engineering are explained below:

v Bio-instrumentation:- is the application of electronics and measurement principles and techniques to develop devices used in diagnosis and treatment of disease.

v Bio-mechanics:- is the mechanics applied to biological or medical problems. It includes the study of motion, of material deformation, of flow within the body and in devices and transport of chemical constituents across biological and synthetic media and membranes.

v Bio-materials:- describes both living tissue and materials used for implantation. Understanding the properties of the living material is vital in the design of implant materials.

v Systems Physiology:- is the term used to describe that aspect of biomedical engineering in which engineering strategies, techniques and tools are used to gain a comprehensive and integrated understanding of the function of living organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. Modeling is used in analysis of experimental data and in formulating mathematical descriptions of physiological events.

v Clinical Engineering:- is the application of technology for health care in hospitals. The clinical engineer is a member of the health care team along with physicians, nurses and other hospital staff. Clinical engineers are responsible for developing and maintaining computer database of medical instrumentation and equipment records and for the purchase and use of supplicated medical instruments.

v Rehabilitation Engineering:- is a new and growing specialty area of biomedical engineering. Rehabilitation engineers expand capabilities and improve the quality of life for individuals with physical impairments.

Biomedical Engineering Important Qualities:

ü Analytical skills: Biomedical engineers must be able to analyze the needs of patients and customers to design appropriate solutions.

ü Communication skills: Because biomedical engineers sometimes work with patients and frequently work on teams, they must be able to express themselves clearly. They must seek others’ ideas and incorporate those ideas into the problem-solving process.

ü Creativity: Biomedical engineers must be creative to come up with innovative and integrative advances in healthcare equipment and devices.

ü Math skills: Biomedical engineers use the principles of calculus and other advanced topics in mathematics, as well as statistics, for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.

ü Deep Knowledge: They must have good knowledge in physiology to find out the problems and providing solutions from the engineering theories and technics.

ü Problem-solving skills: Biomedical engineers typically deal with and solve problems in complex biological systems.

How to Become a Biomedical Engineer?

Biomedical engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering or bio-engineering from an accredited program in order to enter the occupation.

Alternatively, they can get a bachelor’s degree in a different field of engineering and then either choose biological science electives or get a graduate degree in biomedical engineering.

Biomedical Engineering Education:

Prospective biomedical engineering or bio-engineering students should take high school science courses, such as chemistry, physics, and biology. They should also take math courses, including algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. Courses in drafting or mechanical drawing and in computer programming are also useful.

Bachelor’s degree programs in biomedical engineering and bio-engineering focus on engineering and biological sciences. Programs include laboratory-based courses, in addition to classroom-based courses, in subjects such as fluid and solid mechanics, computer programming, circuit design, and bio-materials. Other required courses may include biological sciences, such as physiology.

Accredited programs also include substantial training in engineering design. Many programs include co-ops or internships, often with hospitals and medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, to provide students with practical applications as part of their study.

Educational Requirements for Different Applications:

Biomedical Engineers design and develop medical systems, equipment and devices. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this requires in-depth knowledge of the operational principles of the equipment (electronic, mechanical, biological, etc.) as well as knowledge about the application for which it is to be used.

For instance, in order to design an artificial heart, an engineer must have extensive knowledge of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and fluid dynamics as well as an in-depth understanding of cardiology and physiology.
Designing a lab-on-a-chip requires knowledge of electronics, nanotechnology, materials science and biochemistry.
In order to design prosthetic replacement limbs, expertise in mechanical engineering and material properties as well as bio-mechanics and physiology is essential.

The critical skills needed by a biomedical engineer include a well-rounded understanding of several areas of engineering as well as the specific area of application. This could include studying physiology, organic chemistry, bio-mechanics or computer science. Continuing education and training are also necessary to keep up with technological advances and potential new applications.

Above image shows, Dr. John Hummel (left) and Dr. Ralph Augostini of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are among the first in the U.S. to implant the world`s smallest pacemaker. Roughly half the size of a AAA battery, the pacemaker is designed to monitor the patient`s heart and only activate when needed. It is expected to last up to 14 years.

Credit: Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

This image shows, SilvestroMicera, a neural engineer, led a team that developed a bionic hand that can feel.

Credit: EPFL / Hillary Sanctuary

Biomedical Engineering Advancement:

Ø Biomedical engineers typically receive greater responsibility through experience and more education. To lead a research team, a biomedical engineer generally needs a graduate degree.

Ø Some biomedical engineers attend medical or dental school to specialize in applications at the forefront of patient care, such as using electric impulses in new ways to get muscles moving again.

Ø Some earn law degrees and work as patent attorneys.

Ø Others pursue a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) and move into managerial positions.