Specialty Areas
 By combining biology and medicine with engineering, biomedical engineers
develop devices and procedures that solve medical and health-related
problems. Many do research, along with life scientists, chemists, and
medical scientists, to develop and evaluate systems and products for use
in the fields of biology and health, such as artificial organs,
prostheses (artificial devices that replace missing body parts),
instrumentation, medical information systems, and health management and
care delivery systems.
Some of the well
established specialty areas within the field of biomedical
engineering are bioinstrumentation, biomechanics, biomaterials,
systems physiology, clinical engineering, and rehabilitation
engineering.
 Bioinstrumentation
Bioinstrumentation is
the application of electronics and measurement principles and
techniques to develop devices used in diagnosis and treatment of
disease. Computers are becoming increasingly important in
bioinstrumentation, from the microprocessor used to do a variety of
small tasks in a single purpose instrument to the extensive
computing power needed to process the large amount of information in
a medical imaging system.
Biomechanics
 Biomechanics
is 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. Efforts in
biomechanics have developed the artificial heart and replacement
heart valves, the artificial kidney, the artificial hip, as well as
built a better understanding of the function of organs and
musculoskeletal systems.
Biomaterials
Biomaterials
describes both living tissue and materials used for implantation.
Understanding the properties of the living material is vital in the
design of implant materials. The selection of an appropriate
material to place in the human body may be one of the most difficult
tasks faced by the biomedical engineer. Certain metal alloys,
ceramics, polymers, and composites have been used as implantable
materials. Biomaterials must be nontoxic, noncarcinogenic,
chemically inert, stable, and mechanically strong enough to
withstand the repeated forces of a lifetime.
Systems
Physiology
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 the analysis of experimental data and in formulating mathematical
descriptions of physiological events. In research, models are used
in designing new experiments to refine our knowledge. Living systems
have highly regulated feedback control systems which can be examined
in this way. Examples are the biochemistry of metabolism and the
control of limb movements.
Clinical
Engineering
 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
databases of medical instrumentation and equipment records and for
the purchase and use of sophisticated medical instruments. They may
also work with physicians on projects to adapt instrumentation to
the specific needs of the physician and the hospital. This often
involves the interface of instruments with computer systems and
customized software for instrument control and data analysis.
Clinical engineers feel the excitement of applying the latest
technology to health care.
Rehabilitation
Engineering
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. Because the products of their labor are so personal,
often developed for particular individuals or small groups, the
rehabilitation engineer often works directly with the disabled
individual.
These specialty areas frequently depend on each other. Often the
bioengineer, or biomedical engineer, who works in an applied field
will use knowledge gathered by bioengineers working in more basic
areas. For example, the design of an artificial hip is greatly aided
by a biomechanical study of the hip. The forces which are applied to
the hip can be considered in the design and material selection for
the prosthesis. Similarly, the design of systems to electrically
stimulate paralyzed muscle to move in a controlled way uses
knowledge of the behavior of the human musculoskeletal system. The
selection of appropriate materials used in these devices falls
within the realm of the biomaterials engineer. These are examples of
the interactions among the specialty areas of biomedical
engineering.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
and the Whitaker Foundation.
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