COURSE:ABE 206BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING:

WHAT A CAREER?

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BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING: WHAT A CAREER?

PRESENTED BY

DR K.A. AKANDE

DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN,

NIGERIA

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What is Biomedical Engineering (BME) ?

Biomedical Engineering is the use of engineering tools to analyze and solve problems in biology and medicine. It is the design of new medical instruments, devices, software, therapies or procedures and it is highly multidisciplinary.

Biomedical Engineering involves the application of concepts, knowledge, and approaches of almost all engineering disciplines (for examples: Electrical and Electronics, Mechanical, Civil, Chemical, Materials, and Computer Engineering) to solve specific healthcare related problems.

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What kind of career do you imagine for yourself?

Doctor? Lawyer? Scientist? Engineer? Teacher? CEO? Manager? Salesperson?

A university degree in biomedical engineering will prepare you for all of these professions and more.

Biomedical engineers work in industry, academic institutions, hospitals and government agencies.

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How do biomedical engineers differ from other engineers?

Biomedical engineers integrate biology and medicine with engineering to solve problems related to living systems.

Biomedical engineers are required to have a solid foundation in a more traditional engineering discipline, such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, civil, metallurgical and materials engineering.

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What types of university courses are required by biomedical engineer? Biomedical engineers must have a solid

foundation in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, humanities, physiology, biochemistry, inorganic and organic chemistry, general physics, electronic circuits and instrumentation design, statics and dynamics, signals and systems, biomaterials, thermodynamics, transport phenomenon, and engineering design.

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Typical specialties include: BioelectronicsBiomechanics BiomaterialsPhysiologic systemsBiological signal processingRehabilitation engineeringTelemedicineVirtual realityRobotic aided surgery, and clinical engineering.

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Newer specialties includeCellular and tissue engineering

Neural engineering

Biocomputing and bioinformatics.

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How much education does a biomedical engineer require?

A minimum of four to five years of university education.

A Master's or Doctoral degree offers the biomedical engineer greater opportunities in research and development.

Many biomedical engineers go on to medical school and dental school.

Biomedical engineers even choose to enter law school, planning to work with patent law and intellectual property related to biomedical inventions.

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What kind of practical experience can be gained while training to be a biomedical engineer?

Summer internships with hospitals, medical device

and pharmaceutical companies.

Research experiences at academic institutions and government agencies.

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The key areas of biomedical engineering are:

BioinformaticsBioinformatics involves developing and using computer tools to collect and analyze data related to medicine and biology.

BioMEMSBio Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a silicon chip. For examples: development of micro-robots to perform surgery inside the body, and a device that could be implanted inside the body to deliver drugs on the body's demand.

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BiomaterialsBiomaterials are substances that are engineered for use in devices or implants that must interact with living tissue.

Example:Coatings that fight infection common in artificial joint implants.

BiomechanicsBiomechanics is the mechanics applied to biology. This includes the study of motion, material deformation, and fluid flow.

Examples:

Fluid dynamics involved in blood circulation and the development of artificial hearts.

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Biotechnology

Biotechnology is a set of powerful tools that employs living organisms (or parts of organisms) to make or modify products, improve plants or animals, or develop micro-organisms for specific usage.

For examples:

The earliest efforts in biotechnology involved traditional animal and plant breeding techniques, and the use of yeast in making bread, beer, wine and cheese.

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Neural Systems and EngineeringThis emerging interdisciplinary field involves study

of the brain and nervous system and encompasses areas such as the replacement or restoration of lost sensory and motor abilities, for example, retinal implants to partially restore sight.

Electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscles to assist a person in standing.

Robot arms that are controlled by signals from the motor cortex in the brain.

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Physiological Systems ModelingMany recently improved medical diagnostic techniques and therapeutic innovations have been a result of physiological systems modeling. In this field, models of physiological processes (e.g. the control of limb movements, the biochemistry of metabolism) are developed to gain a better understanding of the function of living organisms.

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Clinical Engineering

Clinical Engineers support and advance patients’ care by applying engineering and managerial skills to healthcare technology.

Clinical engineers can be based in hospitals, where responsibilities can include managing the hospitals’ medical equipment systems for safety and effectiveness.

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Genomics

Genomics is a new discipline that involves the mapping, sequencing, and analyzing of genomes - the set of all the DNA in an organism.

A full understanding of how genes function in normal and/or diseased states can lead to improved detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.

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Micro and Nanotechnology

These fields include the development of microscopic force sensors that can identify changing tissue properties as a way to help surgeons remove only unhealthy tissue, e.g. using nanometer length cantilever beams that bend with cardiac protein levels in ways that can help doctors in the early and rapid diagnosis of heart attacks.

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Rehabilitation Engineering This is the application of science and technology to

improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. This can include designing augmentative and alternative communication systems for people who cannot communicate in traditional ways, making computers more accessible for people with disabilities, developing new materials and designs for wheelchairs, and making prosthetic legs for runners in the Paralympics.

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ERGONOMICS

Ergonomics, is the engineering science concerned with the physical and psychological relationship between machines and the people who use them.

The field of ergonomics is also sometimes called human or human-factors engineering, engineering psychology, and biotechnology.

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Robotics in Surgery

Robotics in surgery includes the use of robotic and image processing systems to interactively assist a medical team both in planning and executing a surgery.

These new techniques can minimize the side effects of surgery by providing smaller incisions, less trauma, and more precision, while also decreasing costs.

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RadiologyIt refers to the use of radioactive substances such as x-ray, magnetic fields as in magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound to create images of the body, its organs and structures. These images can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as well as to guide doctors in image-guided surgery

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Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine scans the detected radiation coming from a radiopharmaceutical that is inside a patient’s body. In contrast, other imaging procedures (such as X-ray and CT scan) obtain images by using devices that send radiation through the body.

Nuclear medicine is also different from other imaging procedures in that it determines the presence of disease based on biological changes in tissue rather than changes in anatomy.

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Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy treatment of a patient requires an individual planning, which includes mainly two areas: the medical and physical treatment planning taking into account of radiobiological aspects that; all body cells can be damaged or killed by radiation, but tumor cells are more sensitive to radiation than normal cells.

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Radiotherapy equipment such as Linear Accelerator (LINAC) uses this principle to damage beyond repair; or kills the abnormal cancer cells in a tumor.

This equipment is used in successful radiation therapy to deliver a dose of radiation to the tumor while ensuring minimum radiation to the normal tissue.

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LINAC EQUIPMENT LOCATIONS IN NIGERIA

Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

Uthman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.

University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu.

University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin.

National Hospital, Abuja.

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DIGITAL LINEAR ACCELERATOR (LINAC) BY ELEKTA

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CONCLUSION

Biomedical Engineering is indeed an interdisciplinary field which is highly needed in Nigeria.

The few Biomedical Engineering programs established at LUTH, ABUTH, UMTH, FUTO and now at UNILORIN are not enough to produce the great numbers of Biomedical Engineers needed for the repairs, maintenance and application of the high-tech biomedical equipment in Nigeria’s hospitals; not to talk of research in different areas of biomedical engineering.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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