Biomedical engineering rose in the 1950s, and it has a very close relationship with medical engineering and biotechnology. It has developed rapidly and has become one of the main areas of competition among countries in the world.
Biomedical engineering, like other disciplines, is determined by scientific, technical, social and economic factors. This term first appeared in America. 1958, the International Federation of Medical Electronics was established in the United States. 1965, the organization changed its name to the International Federation of Medical and Bioengineering, and later became the International Society of Biomedical Engineering.
Biomedical engineering has not only good social benefits, but also good economic benefits, and has a very broad prospect. It is one of the high technologies that countries are competing to develop at present. Taking 1984 as an example, the market size of biomedical engineering and systems in the United States is about 1 1 billion dollars. The American Academy of Sciences estimates that by the year 2000, its output value is expected to reach 40-654.38+000 billion US dollars.
Biomedical engineering is based on the development of electronics, microelectronics, modern computer technology, chemistry, polymer chemistry, mechanics, modern physics, optics, ray technology, precision machinery and modern high technology, and developed under the condition of combining with medicine. Its development process is closely related to the world's high-tech development, and almost all high-tech achievements, such as aerospace technology and microelectronics technology, have been adopted.
Biomedical engineering content
Biomechanics is to study the mechanical properties of biological tissues and organs and the relationship between mechanical properties and their functions by using mechanical theories and methods. The research results of biomechanics are of great significance for understanding the mechanism of human injury and determining the treatment method, and can also provide basis for the design of artificial organs and tissues.
Biomechanics includes biological rheology (hemorheology, soft tissue mechanics and bone mechanics), circulatory system dynamics and respiratory system dynamics. At present, biomechanics has made rapid progress in bone mechanics.
Biocybernetics is to study the mechanism of various regulatory phenomena in organisms, and then control the physiological and pathological phenomena of organisms, so as to achieve the purpose of preventing and treating diseases. Its method is to quantitatively study the dynamic process of a certain structural level of an organism from a holistic perspective by using a comprehensive method.
Biological effect is to study the possible harm and function of various factors in medical diagnosis and treatment. It should study the propagation and distribution of light, sound, electromagnetic radiation and nuclear radiation in the body, as well as its biological effect and mechanism.
Biological materials are the material basis for making various artificial organs, and must meet the requirements of various organs for materials, including physical and mechanical properties such as strength, hardness, toughness, wear resistance, deflection and surface characteristics. Because most of these artificial organs are implanted in the body, they are required to have corrosion resistance, chemical stability, non-toxicity and compatibility with body tissues or blood. These materials include metals, nonmetals, composite materials and polymer materials. At present, light alloy materials are widely used.
Medical imaging is one of the main means of clinical diagnosis of diseases, and it is also a key subject of development and scientific research in all countries of the world. Medical imaging equipment mainly uses X-rays, ultrasonic waves, radionuclide magnetic vibration and so on for imaging.
X-ray imaging equipment mainly includes large X-ray unit, X-ray digital subtraction (DSA) equipment and computerized tomography (CT) equipment. Ultrasonic imaging equipment includes B-ultrasound examination, color ultrasonic Doppler examination and other equipment; Radionuclide imaging equipment mainly includes γ camera, single photon emission computed tomography device and positron emission computed tomography device. The magnetic imaging apparatus has a vibration tomography device; In addition, there are infrared imaging and emerging impedance imaging technology.
Medical electronic instruments are the main equipment for collecting, analyzing and processing human physiological signals, such as ECG, EEG, EMG and multi-parameter monitors, which are developing towards miniaturization and intelligence. Biochemical detection instruments that understand biochemical processes through body fluids have gradually moved towards miniaturization and automation.
The development of therapeutic instruments and equipment is slightly worse than that of diagnostic equipment. At present, X-ray, γ-ray, radionuclide, ultrasonic, microwave, infrared and other instruments are mainly used. Large-scale such as linear accelerator, X-ray deep therapy machine, extracorporeal lithotriptor, artificial respiration machine, etc. Small, such as laser intracavity lithotriptor, laser acupuncture instrument and electric stimulator, etc.
The conventional equipment in the operating room has developed from simple surgical instruments to various emergency treatment instruments such as high-frequency electrotome, laser scalpel, respiratory anesthesia machine, monitor, X-ray TV, and defibrillator.
In order to improve the therapeutic effect, in modern medical technology, many therapeutic systems have both diagnostic instruments and therapeutic devices with diagnostic functions. For example, defibrillator ECG monitor is used to diagnose cardiac function and guide the selection of treatment parameters. Extracorporeal lithotripsy is equipped with X-ray and ultrasonic imaging equipment for positioning, while artificial pacemaker implanted in human body has the function of sensing ECG, so as to carry out adaptive pacing therapy.
Interventional radiology is the fastest developing field in radiology, that is, diagnostic X-ray or ultrasonic imaging equipment and endoscope are used to diagnose, guide and locate during interventional therapy. It solves many difficult problems in diagnosis and treatment, and the treatment of diseases is less harmful.
At present, one of the high technologies that countries are competing to develop is medical imaging technology, among which image processing, impedance imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, three-dimensional imaging technology, image archiving and communication system are the main ones. In imaging technology, biomagnetic imaging is a new subject, which images the current of human tissue by measuring the human magnetic field.
At present, biomagnetic imaging has two aspects. That is, magnetocardiogram (which can be used to observe the electrical activity of myocardial fibers and reflect arrhythmia and myocardial ischemia well) and magnetoencephalography (which can be used to diagnose brain invasion of epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and also to locate and quantify the damaged brain areas).
Another high-tech that countries all over the world are competing to develop is signal processing and analysis technology, which includes the processing and analysis of ECG, EEG, nystagmus, language, heart sound breathing and other signals and graphics.
There is also neural network research in the high-tech field, and scientists all over the world have set off a research boom for this. It is considered as a new frontier discipline that may cause a major breakthrough. It studies the thinking mechanism of human brain and applies its achievements to the development of intelligent computer technology. Using intelligent principle to solve various practical problems is the purpose of neural network research, and gratifying achievements have been made in this field.