Biomedical Engineering Technology Research Articles

Investigational methods and radiological therapeutic approaches

Progress in biomedical engineering technology has resulted in major advances in noninvasive cardiac imaging, with noninvasive techniques becoming a real alternative to invasive modalities for diagn...

Surface technologies 2006—Alternative energies and policy options

Surfaces are the immediate contact between anything in our world. Literally, every industry utilizes coatings and surface modifications in order to create surfaces tailored to specific needs, protect underlying substrates, or modify their behavior. Surface and coating technologies are essential to a large variety of different industrial sectors, including transportation, manufacturing, food and biomedical engineering, energy, resources, and materials science and technology. The present paper explains the limitations for alternative energy technologies, with a focus on fuel cell technology development and the alternative energy sector, based on the outcomes of presentations and facilitated discussion groups during a Canadian national workshop series. Options for technological improvements of alternative energy systems are presented in combination with national and international policy choices, which could positively influence research and development in the alternative energy sector.

Biomedical engineering at the forefront in Japan

This paper introduces recent Japanese contributions to biomedical engineering (BME) technology. As in the United States, Japanese research has expanded to include neural and tissue engineering, although electrical and mechanical engineering applications remain important. In the last few years, Japanese biomedical engineering has been at the forefront in cardiovascular research, robotics (including surgical, rehabilitation, and entertainment robots), and rehabilitation engineering. In answer to Japan's aging society, the Ministry of Industry and Technology has focused on an experimental house called the Welfare Techno-House to develop assistive devices which include ubiquitous wearable orthoprostheses.

Biomedical Engineering Technology

Biomedical Engineering Technology

Designing a biomedical engineering technology program for the future.

Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology 297 Integrating biomedical instrumentation, electronics theory, and information systems technology into a Biomedical Engineering Technology Program is the challenge that we are facing in the industry. The BMET graduate is now expected to understand computer networking as well as the traditional fields of electronics, chemistry, physics, speech, anatomy and physiology, and biomedical instrumentation. At Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, we set out to address student and employer needs by redesigning our Biomedical Equipment and Information Systems Technology major. We determined that we needed to upgrade student training in information technologies. We also found that we needed to market this field as a challenging and fun career. We made a commitment to information technology (IT) education at Cincinnati State, which is consistent with the information technology initiative in the state of Ohio entitled “itWORKS.OHIO.” 1 The Ohio initiative, a broad-based educational response to the state’s need for a skilled IT workforce, is a collaboration of business, industry, and educational institutions that provide IT training. Our commitment made it much easier to provide the IT training required in the biomedical program. We were able to utilize courses currently in place for other programs within the college, which made the changes much easier to justify from a purely financial standpoint. BMET programs tend to be relatively small in size and costly to run. Justification of a program like this requires cooperation throughout the college and within the local biomedical community. The need for a BMET graduate well versed in IT— including computer hardware and software, computer networking, and applications in addition to the traditional topics—has enabled Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to make significant changes in the Biomedical Electronics Engineering Technology program over the last few years. The changes took place at a time when Cincinnati State experienced a 5% enrollment decline in its Biomedical program recently. This decline also precipitated the discussion and eventual changes to the program. Changes were made in the curriculum, course content, and even the name of the program to better reflect what was actually being taught in the course of study. The program will become a major discipline of the Electronics Engineering Technology Program this fall. It will remain part of the Electrical Engineering Technology department (the BMET major is currently experiencing a 5% upturn in enrollment and jobs).

안락사 기준에 관한 국제 비교 연구*

Background : The rapid development of biomedical engineering and medical technology has given us a lot of changes not only on our social environment but also on life itself. Even though legislation of Organ Transplantation Law expanded the discussion on life and death, still the academic discussion on euthanasia has been often prohibited in Korea. Objectives : This study was performed (I) to identify the ethical standard in laws on euthanasia at other countries such as Netherlands, Australia, and the United States. (2) to understand the current status on euthanasia and its ethical implications in Korea, (3) to search the justified type of euthanasia in the ethical point of views, and finally (4) to suggest the ethical guideline on euthanasia in Korean situation. Methods : In order to understand the current status on euthanasia in Korea, the survey was conducted to the attending physicians of 42 patients who died from August 1st to August 31st in 1995 at one of university hospitals in Korea. The survey consisted of two parts: general questions on euthanasia and specific questions on the hypothetical situations. Results : Most of the physicians did not have a clear understanding on euthanasia and even gave conflict answers. Also, their answers were based not on the ethical reasoning but on the difficulties in medical practice. However, the study showed that they all experience the ethical dilemma in medical practice with euthanasia and terminally ill patients. Conclusion : Overall study shows the actual need to establish the ethical guideline on euthanasia to give the physicians the practical solutions on their ethical dilemma. Therefore, we suggests the ethical guideline on euthanasia which can be effective on the Korean situation.

Development of instrumental technologies for assessing higher mental functions in normal and pathological states

Diagnosis of disorders of higher mental function (HMF) in normal and pathological states is an urgent problem of modern health service. It is well known that various diseases (oligophrenia, mental insufficiency, infantile cerebral paralysis, epilepsy, cerebrocranial injuries, meningitis, encephalitis, dementia, diseases associated with aging, Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular diseases, alcoholism, etc.) may reduce HMF. Various neurological diseases can modify certain mental functions (reduced motivation and interest, mental distress, aggression, emotional hypesthesia, egocentrism, importunate behavior, etc.). Socially caused retardation of mental development of children and adolescents is a problem of particular significance. The increasing incidence of neurological and mental diseases makes it urgent to develop new methods and devices for instrumental monitoring of functional disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). This work discusses some promising approaches to the development of biomedical engineering technologies for study, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of HMF disorders. Various topical (e.g., ultrasonic scanning, magneticresonance imaging) and electrophysiological methods for study of brain function are widely used to monitor and control CNS state. In addition, functional methods of assessment of HMF disorders are of fundamental importance. Because of the complexity of the nervous system and mental processes, methods of qualitative and subjective analysis of their external manifestations are commonly used. However, a trend toward quantitative analysis of VNIIMP-VITA, Ltd. (All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute for Medical Instrument Engineering), Moscow.

Improving Biomedical Engineering Technology and Clinical Engineering Education through Internet Resources

Improving Biomedical Engineering Technology and Clinical Engineering Education through Internet Resources

New Approaches for Biomedical Engineering Technology & Clinical Engineering Education

New Approaches for Biomedical Engineering Technology & Clinical Engineering Education

Biomedical Engineering Education in Canada, 1996

This paper updates the information contained in a previously published paper, ¿Bioengineering Education in Canada, 1988,¿ which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Engineering (Volume 13, No. 5). It describes the current biomedical engineering and biomedical engineering technology programs available in Canada, but does not attempt to evaluate them. There are no undergraduate degree programs specifically in biomedical engineering, although three universities have created options in biomedical engineering in undergraduate programs. Also, the clinical engineering program at the University of British Columbia has been discontinued.

Bioengineering education in Canada, 1988.

As a companion article to the Journal of Clinical Engineering's series on Bioengineering Education in the United States, this paper describes the biomedical engineering and biomedical engineering technology programs in Canada. The purpose of the article is not to evaluate each program, but to illustrate the breadth of bioengineering and related programs available today in this country. While biomedical engineering technology programs are offered at the college level, the Canadian philosophy toward biomedical engineering is slightly different from that found in the United States: in Canada, biomedical engineering is offered only at the graduate level to qualified applicants with a previous degree in engineering, science, medicine, or dentistry.

Clinical engineering as an academic discipline.

This paper includes sections written by the current or former Clinical Engineering coordinators of five universities on common problems faced by Clinical Engineering (CE) educational programs and the different solutions adopted on various campuses. The problems discussed include student recruitment, financial support, containment of student credit hours and faculty time, retention of CE graduates in the profession, and differentiation between Clinical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Technology.

Towards progress in biomedical engineering technology

Towards progress in biomedical engineering technology