Biomedical engineering applies the principles and tools of engineering to biology and medicine, designing devices, diagnostics and materials that interact directly with the human body. Its output ranges from the cardiac pacemaker and the artificial heart valve to medical imaging systems such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. The field crystallized as a distinct discipline in the decades after the Second World War, as growing collaboration between engineers and physicians turned ad hoc medical devices into a formal engineering specialty with its own societies, journals and university departments.
Facts
Core ConcernApplying engineering design and analysis to biological systems, medical devices and healthcare technology. 1 Core PrincipleEngineer to the constraints of a living body rather than a workshop: biocompatibility, sterilizability and long term reliability inside a warm, wet, chemically active system the designer does not fully control. 1 Typical ProductsArtificial internal organs, replacements for body parts, equipment and devices 2 Disputed
Origin Year1968
Dated here to the founding of the Biomedical Engineering Society in 1968, a commonly cited marker; the collaboration between engineers and physicians that produced the field's early devices, such as the cardiac pacemaker in the 1950s, predates any one founding date by more than a decade. Learn More
When Engineering Learned to Work Inside the Body
This article records tradition as it has been passed down and reported. Its sources are not yet part of the atlas's verified catalogue.
Biomedical engineering exists because certain problems in medicine are, underneath the biology, engineering problems: a heart that beats irregularly needs a reliable, miniaturized electrical timer; a failing valve needs a mechanical replacement that will open and close without fatigue for decades inside a hostile, moving, salt-water environment; a diagnosis that would otherwise require cutting a patient open needs a way to see inside the body without doing so. The cardiac pacemaker and the artificial heart valve solved the first two problems by putting a device permanently inside the body, engineered to survive there. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography solved the third by building instruments that could see inside a living body from the outside, converting physics most patients will never need to understand into pictures a physician can read directly. None of these were built by physicians alone or by engineers alone; each required the two disciplines to solve the same problem from opposite ends, which is the entire reason biomedical engineering had to become its own field rather than staying a set of favors engineers occasionally did for doctors.
How a Postwar Collaboration Became a Discipline
This article records tradition as it has been passed down and reported. Its sources are not yet part of the atlas's verified catalogue.
Biomedical engineering crystallized as its own discipline only in the decades after the Second World War, as engineers and physicians who had been solving medical problems ad hoc, one device at a time, built the shared societies, journals and university departments that turn a set of individual collaborations into a formal field. That formalization mattered because a device meant to live inside a human body for years cannot be engineered the way an ordinary machine part is: it has to survive an environment that is warm, wet, chemically active and constantly moving, without provoking the body's own immune defenses into rejecting it. Titanium became one of the field's standard answers to that problem, chosen for surgical implants because a tenacious natural oxide film makes it resist corrosion in the body and because it does not trigger the immune reactions many other structurally strong metals do, the same biocompatibility that makes it valuable in aerospace airframes for an unrelated reason: strength that does not carry unnecessary weight. A discipline that began by borrowing whatever material happened to work ended up needing materials science, and metallurgy in particular, as one of its permanent neighbors rather than an occasional favor.
Biomedical Engineering
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FAQs
Is biomedical engineering the same as biological engineering?
Biomedical engineering is a specialization within the broader field of biological engineering, applying engineering design and analysis specifically to biological systems, medical devices and healthcare technology, including prosthetics, diagnostic imaging, implants and therapeutic devices. Biological engineering additionally covers agriculture, environmental remediation, food production and industrial biotechnology, applications outside medicine that a biomedical engineer's own work does not usually touch.
Connections
Associated With
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Cobalt-chromium alloys are a core biomedical engineering implant material, a second field beyond its primary materials-engineering field.
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section
Pacemaker, Inventions Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
PEEK, Materials PEEK is widely used in biomedical engineering for spinal fusion cages and orthopedic implants, a second field beyond its primary chemical-engineering field.
Prosthesis, Inventions Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section
Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Titanium, Materials Titanium's biocompatibility and corrosion resistance make it a standard material for surgical implants and prosthetics.
Source Technology: A World HistoryDaniel R. Headrick
Built the first working dialysis machine.
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Includes
Source Willem Einthoven (ETHW)
Regarded as a founding figure of biomedical engineering; built the first working dialysis machine in 1943 and later led the University of Utah's Institute for Biomedical Engineering.
Source Willem Kolff (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Source Wilson Greatbatch (Wikipedia)
Source X-ray machine (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Source Yuan-Cheng Fung (Wikipedia)
Showing 101 to 105 of 105 in Includes, page 3 of 3.
Long-Form Articles
Open Questions
Source Artificial Cardiac Pacemaker (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
In the Other Atlases
Informed By
Also in Science Atlas: which informed this subject.
Source Biomedical Engineering (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributorsLeadtier 2Quote, Lead
Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare applications (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic purposes).
Also in Science Atlas: which informed this subject.
Source Biomedical Engineering (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributorsLeadtier 2Quote, Lead
Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare applications (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic purposes).
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.- Core Concern: Applying engineering design and analysis to biological systems, medical devices and healthcare technology.
- Core Principle: Engineer to the constraints of a living body rather than a workshop: biocompatibility, sterilizability and long term reliability inside a warm, wet, chemically active system the designer does not fully control.
View the Source 2. Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers, Occupational Outlook Handbook (BLS)
What Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers DoQuote, What Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers Do
Design equipment and devices, such as artificial internal organs, replacements for body parts
View the Source Biomedical Engineering (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section, opening definition of biomedical engineeringQuote, Lead section, opening definition of biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare applications (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic purposes).
View the Source Technology: A World History
Daniel R. Headrick, Oxford University Press, 2009Associated With: TitaniumView the Source Kolff, Willem J. (Case Western Reserve Encyclopedia of Cleveland History)
Case Western Reserve UniversityIncludes: The Dialysis Machine, main biographical entry
In 1943, Kolff created the 'rotating drum kidney (RDK),' which is regarded as the first working artificial kidney.
Includes: Hemodialysis Machine, Article
In 1943, Kolff created the "rotating drum kidney (RDK)," which is regarded as the first working artificial kidney.
View the Source Earl Bakken (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Earl BakkenView the Source John Charnley (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: John CharnleyView the Source Philip Drinker (National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee page)
Includes: Philip Drinker, Inductee pageQuote, Includes: Philip Drinker, Inductee page
a respirator that has helped save lives, especially those afflicted with polio and other cases of paralysis
View the Source Julio C. Palmaz (National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee page)
Includes: Julio C. Palmaz, Inductee pageQuote, Includes: Julio C. Palmaz, Inductee page
Julio Palmaz invented the first commercially-successful intravascular stent
View the Source René Laennec (Wikipedia article)
Includes: René Laennec, LeadQuote, Includes: René Laennec, Lead
led him to invent the stethoscope in 1816
View the Source John Haven Emerson (Wikipedia)
Includes: John Haven Emerson, Lead or Career sectionQuote, Includes: John Haven Emerson, Lead or Career section
an American inventor of biomedical devices who specialized in respiratory equipment
View the Source Rune Elmqvist (Wikipedia)
Includes: Rune Elmqvist, Lead [in-field]Quote, Includes: Rune Elmqvist, Lead [in-field]
Swedish physician turned engineer who developed the first implantable pacemaker in 1958
View the Source Paul C. Lauterbur - Facts (NobelPrize.org)
Includes: Paul Lauterbur, Facts, work summaryQuote, Includes: Paul Lauterbur, Facts, work summary
Paul Lauterbur contributed to use of the phenomenon to create images of the human
View the Source Yuan-Cheng Fung (Wikipedia)
Includes: Yuan-Cheng Fung, Lead paragraph [in-field]Quote, Includes: Yuan-Cheng Fung, Lead paragraph [in-field]
was a Chinese-American bioengineer and writer
View the Source Francisco Valero-Cuevas (Wikipedia)
Includes: Francisco Valero-Cuevas, LeadQuote, Includes: Francisco Valero-Cuevas, Lead
an engineer of Mexican origin, and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering
View the Source Drug-eluting stent (Wikipedia)
Includes: Drug-Eluting Stent, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Drug-Eluting Stent, Lead paragraph
A drug-eluting stent (DES) is a medical implant consisting of a tube, made of a mesh-like material.
View the Source Single-photon emission computed tomography (Wikipedia)
Includes: Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography, Lead paragraph
Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT, or less commonly, SPET) is a nuclear medicine tomographic imaging technique using gamma rays.
View the Source High-definition fiber tracking (Wikipedia)
Includes: High-Definition Fiber Tracking, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: High-Definition Fiber Tracking, Lead paragraph
High definition fiber tracking (HDFT) is a tractography technique where data from MRI scanners is processed through computer algorithms to reveal the detailed wiring of the brain and to pinpoint fiber tracts.
View the Source NgAgo (Wikipedia)
Includes: NgAgo, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: NgAgo, Lead paragraph
NgAgo is a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-guided Argonaute endonuclease, an acronym for Natronobacterium gregoryi Argonaute.
View the Source Isolation tank (Wikipedia)
Includes: Isolation tank, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Isolation tank, Lead paragraph
An isolation tank, sensory deprivation tank, float tank, float pod, float cabin, flotation tank, or sensory attenuation tank is a water filled, pitch-black, light-proof, soundproof environment heated to the same temperature as the skin.
View the Source Hypnoscope (Wikipedia)
Includes: Hypnoscope, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Hypnoscope, Lead paragraph
A hypnoscope is an instrument intended to determine a person's susceptibility to hypnotic influences.
View the Source Braille (Wikipedia)
Includes: Braille, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Braille, Lead paragraph
Braille ( BRAYL; French: [bʁaj] ) is a tactile writing system used by blind or visually impaired people.
View the Source Glasses (Wikipedia)
Includes: Eyeglasses, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Eyeglasses, Lead paragraph
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses, spectacles, or colloquially as specs, are vision eyewear with clear or tinted lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms, known as temples or temple pieces, that rest over the ears for support.
View the Source Heinz Wolff (Wikipedia)
Includes: Heinz Wolff, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Heinz Wolff, Lead paragraph
Heinz Siegfried Wolff, (29 April 1928-15 December 2017) was a German-born British scientist as well as a television and radio presenter.
View the Source Wikipedia: Charles Chamberland
Includes: Charles Chamberland, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Charles Chamberland, Lead paragraph
Charles Edouard Chamberland (French pronunciation: [ʃaʁl ʃɑ̃bɛʁlɑ̃]; 12 March 1851-2 May 1908) was a French microbiologist from Chilly-le-Vignoble in the department of Jura who worked with Louis Pasteur.
View the Source Louis Braille (Wikipedia)
Includes: Louis Braille, Lead paragraphQuote, Includes: Louis Braille, Lead paragraph
Louis Braille ( BRAYL; French: [lwi bʁɑj] ; 4 January 1809-6 January 1852) was a French educator and the inventor of a reading and writing system named after him, braille, intended for use by visually impaired people.
View the Source Hippocrates (Wikipedia)
Includes: Hippocrates, Legacy, eponyms, device for setting bonesQuote, Includes: Hippocrates, Legacy, eponyms, device for setting bones
Hippocratic bench (a device which uses tension to aid in setting bones)
View the Source Tofy Mussivand (Wikipedia)
Includes: Tofy Mussivand, Lead, professionQuote, Includes: Tofy Mussivand, Lead, profession
was an Iranian-Canadian medical engineer
View the Source Silvia Blemker (Wikipedia)
Includes: Silvia Blemker, Lead, postQuote, Includes: Silvia Blemker, Lead, post
Silvia Salinas Blemker is a Full Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia.
View the Source Robert Fischell (Wikipedia)
Includes: Robert Fischell, Later career, bioengineeringQuote, Includes: Robert Fischell, Later career, bioengineering
to establish a bioengineering department and an institute for biomedical devices
View the Source Forrest Bird (Wikipedia)
Includes: Forrest Bird, Lead, disciplineQuote, Includes: Forrest Bird, Lead, discipline
was an American aviator, inventor, and biomedical engineer
View the Source Stethoscope (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Stethoscope, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Stethoscope, Categories
Medical equipment
View the Source Defibrillation (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Defibrillator, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Defibrillator, Categories
Medical devices
View the Source Hypodermic needle (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Hypodermic Needle, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Hypodermic Needle, Categories
Drug delivery devices
View the Source Pacemaker (Wikipedia)
Includes: Pacemaker, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Pacemaker, Categories
Biomedical engineering
View the Source Cochlear Implant (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Cochlear Implant, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Cochlear Implant, Categories
Artificial organs
View the Source Insulin Pump (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Insulin Pump, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Insulin Pump, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Artificial Heart (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Artificial Heart, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Artificial Heart, Categories
Artificial organs
View the Source Sphygmomanometer (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Sphygmomanometer, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Sphygmomanometer, Categories
Medical equipment
View the Source Prosthesis (Wikipedia)
Includes: Prosthesis, Categories
Biomedical engineering
Includes: Myoelectric Prosthesis, Lead section
In medicine, a prosthesis (pl.: prostheses; from Ancient Greek: πρόσθεσις, romanized: prósthesis, lit. 'addition, application, attachment'), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder).
Includes: Prosthetic Limb, Lead section
In medicine, a prosthesis (pl.: prostheses; from Ancient Greek: πρόσθεσις, romanized: prósthesis, lit. 'addition, application, attachment'), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder).
View the SourceStent (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Stent, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Stent, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Infusion pump - Wikipedia
Includes: Infusion Pump, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Infusion Pump, Categories
Drug delivery devices
View the Source Visual prosthesis - Wikipedia
Includes: Retinal Implant, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Retinal Implant, Categories
Artificial organs
View the Source Ventricular assist device - Wikipedia
Includes: Ventricular Assist Device, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Ventricular Assist Device, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Hip replacement - Wikipedia
Includes: Total Hip Replacement, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Total Hip Replacement, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator - Wikipedia
Includes: Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Artificial heart valve - Wikipedia
Includes: Prosthetic Heart Valve, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Prosthetic Heart Valve, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Cardiopulmonary bypass
Includes: Heart-Lung Machine, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Heart-Lung Machine, Categories
Medical equipment
View the Source Intraocular lens (Wikipedia)
Includes: Intraocular Lens, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Intraocular Lens, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Nebulizer (Wikipedia)
Includes: Nebulizer, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Nebulizer, Categories
Drug delivery devices
View the Source Laryngoscopy
Includes: Laryngoscope, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Laryngoscope, Categories
Medical equipment
View the Source Otoscope (Wikipedia)
Includes: Otoscope, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Otoscope, Categories
Medical equipment
View the Source Continuous glucose monitor (Wikipedia)
Includes: Continuous Glucose Monitor, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Continuous Glucose Monitor, Categories
Medical devices
View the Source Automated insulin delivery system (Wikipedia)
Includes: Artificial Pancreas, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Artificial Pancreas, Categories
Artificial organs
View the Source Spinal cord stimulator (Wikipedia)
Includes: Spinal Cord Stimulator, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Spinal Cord Stimulator, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Brain-computer interface (Wikipedia)
Includes: Brain-Computer Interface, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Brain-Computer Interface, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Electromyography (Wikipedia)
Includes: Electromyograph, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Electromyograph, Categories
Biomedical engineering
View the Source Keratoprosthesis (Wikipedia)
Includes: Keratoprosthesis, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Keratoprosthesis, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Dental implant (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Dental Implant, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Dental Implant, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Brain implant (Wikipedia)
Includes: Brain implant, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Brain implant, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source Medical Ventilator (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Medical Ventilator, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Medical Ventilator, Categories
Medical pumps
View the Source CT Scan (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Computed Tomography, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Computed Tomography, Categories
Diagnostic medical imaging
View the Source Endoscopy (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Endoscope, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Endoscope, Categories
Diagnostic gastroenterology
View the Source Glucose Meter (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Glucose Meter, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Glucose Meter, Categories
Diabetes-related supplies and medical equipment
View the Source Electrocardiography - Wikipedia
Includes: Electrocardiograph, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Electrocardiograph, Categories
Diagnostic cardiology
View the Source Positron emission tomography - Wikipedia
Includes: Positron Emission Tomography, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Positron Emission Tomography, Categories
3D nuclear medical imaging
View the Source Cardiac catheterization - Wikipedia
Includes: Cardiac Catheterization, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Cardiac Catheterization, Categories
Diagnostic cardiology
View the Source Robotic surgery (Wikipedia)
Includes: Surgical Robot, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Surgical Robot, Categories
Health informatics
View the Source Pulse oximetry - Wikipedia
Includes: Pulse Oximeter, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Pulse Oximeter, Categories
Cardiology
View the Source Automated external defibrillator (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Automated External Defibrillator, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Automated External Defibrillator, Categories
Emergency medical equipment
View the Source Holter monitor (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Holter Monitor, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Holter Monitor, Categories
Diagnostic cardiology
View the Source Cardiotocography (Wikipedia)
Includes: Cardiotocograph, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Cardiotocograph, Categories
Medical monitoring
View the Source Laparoscopy (Wikipedia)
Includes: Laparoscope, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Laparoscope, Categories
Medical treatments
View the Source Hancock Aortic Tissue Valve (Wikipedia)
Includes: Hancock Aortic Tissue Valve, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Hancock Aortic Tissue Valve, Categories
Cardiology
View the Source Neurofeedback (Wikipedia)
Includes: Neurofeedback, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Neurofeedback, Categories
Medical tests
View the Source God helmet (Wikipedia)
Includes: God helmet, CategoriesQuote, Includes: God helmet, Categories
Neurophysiology
View the Source Teeth-cleaning twig (Wikipedia)
Includes: Teeth-cleaning twig, CategoriesQuote, Includes: Teeth-cleaning twig, Categories
Dental equipment
View the Source X-ray machine (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: X-Ray Machine, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: X-Ray Machine, Lead section
In medical applications, X-ray machines are used by radiographers to acquire x-ray images of the internal structures (e.g., bones) of living organisms, and also in sterilization.
View the Source Contact Lens (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Contact Lens, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Contact Lens, Lead section
Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide in 2012, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons.
View the Source Hearing Aid (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Hearing Aid, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Hearing Aid, Lead section
Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations.
View the Source Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Lead section
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body.
View the Source 3D bioprinting (Wikipedia)
Includes: Bioprinting, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Bioprinting, Lead section
Generally, 3D bioprinting uses a layer-by-layer method to deposit materials known as bio-inks to create tissue-like structures that are later used in various medical and tissue engineering fields. 3D bioprinting covers an extensive range of bioprinting techniques and biomaterials.
View the Source Deep brain stimulation (Wikipedia)
Includes: Deep Brain Stimulator, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Deep Brain Stimulator, Lead section
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a type of neurostimulation therapy in which an implantable pulse generator is surgically implanted below the skin of the chest and connected by leads to the brain to deliver controlled electrical impulses.
View the Source Medical ultrasound (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ultrasound Machine, Lead section
Medical ultrasound includes diagnostic techniques (mainly imaging) using ultrasound, as well as therapeutic applications of ultrasound.
Includes: Medical Ultrasound, Introduction
Medical ultrasound includes diagnostic techniques (mainly imaging) using ultrasound, as well as therapeutic applications of ultrasound.
View the SourceRobert Jarvik (Wikipedia)
Includes: Robert Jarvik, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Robert Jarvik, Introduction
Robert Koffler Jarvik (May 11, 1946, May 26, 2025) was an American scientist, researcher and businessman known for his role in developing the Jarvik-7 artificial heart.
View the Source Electroencephalography (Wikipedia)
Includes: Electroencephalograph, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Electroencephalograph, Introduction
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain.
View the Source Iron lung (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Iron Lung, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Iron Lung, Introduction
An iron lung is negative pressure ventilator and mechanical respirator which encloses most of the patient's body.
View the Source Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (Wikipedia)
Includes: Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, Introduction
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of extracorporeal life support, operated by a perfusionist, providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to people whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of oxygen, gas exchange or blood supply (perfusion) to sustain life.
View the Source Hippocratic bench (Wikipedia)
Includes: Hippocratic bench, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Hippocratic bench, Introduction
It represented an early understanding of applying controlled force and counter-force to achieve anatomical realignment in a medical context.
View the Source Biofeedback (Wikipedia)
Includes: Biofeedback, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Biofeedback, Introduction
Some of the processes that can be controlled include brainwaves, muscle tone, skin conductance, heart rate and pain perception.
View the Source Isochronic tones (Wikipedia)
Includes: Isochronic Tones, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Isochronic Tones, Introduction
Isochronic tones are regular beats of a single tone that are used alongside monaural beats and binaural beats in the process called brainwave entrainment (synchronization of brainwaves).
View the Source Wheelchair (Wikipedia)
Includes: Wheelchair, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Wheelchair, Introduction
It is used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditions.
View the Source Raymond Damadian (Wikipedia)
Includes: Raymond Damadian, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Raymond Damadian, Introduction
Raymond Vahan Damadian (Armenian: Ռեյմոնդ Վահան Դամադյան; March 16, 1936, August 3, 2022) was an American physician, medical researcher, and inventor of the first nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scanning machine.
View the Source Leland Clark (Wikipedia)
Includes: Leland Clark, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Leland Clark, Introduction
He is most well known as the inventor of the Clark electrode, a device used for measuring oxygen in blood, water and other liquids.
View the Source Wikipedia: Francis Rynd
Includes: Francis Rynd, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Francis Rynd, Introduction
Francis Rynd (1801-19 July 1861) was an Irish medical doctor known for inventing the hypodermic needle used in syringes in 1844, which also led to the first recorded injection.
View the Source Frank Pantridge (Wikipedia)
Includes: Frank Pantridge, IntroductionQuote, Includes: Frank Pantridge, Introduction
James Francis Pantridge, (3 October 1916-26 December 2004), usually known as Frank Pantridge, was a Northern Irish physician, cardiologist, and professor who transformed emergency medicine and paramedic services with the invention of the portable defibrillator.
View the Source Wilson Greatbatch (Wikipedia)
Includes: Wilson Greatbatch, Article bodyQuote, Includes: Wilson Greatbatch, Article body
The Chardack-Greatbatch pacemaker used Mallory mercuric oxide-zinc cells (mercury battery) for its energy source, driving a two transistor, transformer coupled blocking oscillator circuit, all encapsulated in epoxy resin, then coupled to electrodes placed into the myocardium of the patient's heart.
View the Source Continuous positive airway pressure, Wikipedia
Includes: CPAP Machine, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: CPAP Machine, Lead section
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a form of positive airway pressure (PAP) ventilation in which a flow of air with pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is continuously applied to the upper respiratory tract of a person.
View the Source Willem Einthoven (ETHW)
Includes: Willem Einthoven, BiographyQuote, Includes: Willem Einthoven, Biography
Such was the insatiable thirst for knowledge that drove the man who would become famous as the inventor of the electrocardiogram (EKG), one of the most important medical inventions of all time.
View the Source Godfrey Hounsfield (Nobel Prize)
Includes: Godfrey Hounsfield, FactsQuote, Includes: Godfrey Hounsfield, Facts
During the 1960s Godfrey Hounsfield developed an apparatus in which clusters of X-ray beams sent through the body from different angles are registered when the have passed the body.
View the Source Graeme Clark (Lemelson-MIT)
Includes: Graeme Clark, ProfileQuote, Includes: Graeme Clark, Profile
Australian physician, scientist, and inventor Graeme Milbourne Clark changed the lives of tens of thousands of hearing-impaired individuals with his creation of the multi-channel cochlear implant.
View the Source Michel Mirowski (National Inventors Hall of Fame)
Includes: Michel Mirowski, Inductee pageQuote, Includes: Michel Mirowski, Inductee page
Michel Mirowski conceived of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in the 1960s after his mentor died of a heart arrhythmia.
View the Source National Inventors Hall of Fame: Dean Kamen (National Inventors Hall of Fame)
National Inventors Hall of FameIncludes: Dean Kamen, Inductee pageQuote, Includes: Dean Kamen, Inductee page
Among his inventions in the medical field are a portable peritoneal dialysis machine and the IBOT, a sophisticated mobility aid capable of climbing stairs and raising the user to eye-level with a standing person.
View the Source Werner Forssmann (Nobel Prize)
Includes: Werner Forssmann, BiographicalQuote, Includes: Werner Forssmann, Biographical
It was here that he was the first to develop a technique for the catheterization of the heart.
View the Source Open Questions (1 open question)
Who deserves primary credit for the first implantable cardiac pacemaker: Rune Elmqvist and Åke Senning, whose device was implanted in Sweden in 1958, or Wilson Greatbatch, whose independently developed device entered use in the United States in 1960?
The first clinical implantation of a fully implantable pacemaker took place in Sweden on 8 October 1958, using a device designed by Rune Elmqvist and surgeon Åke Senning, but it failed within three hours and needed rapid replacement. Wilson Greatbatch's independently engineered implantable pacemaker, using a mercury-battery design, entered use in the United States in April 1960 and proved durable enough for his patient to live a further eighteen months.
What would resolve this Whether the first, short-lived implant or the first durable design founded modern implantable pacemaker engineering is treated differently by different national and disciplinary histories, and no single source resolves which contribution carries primary credit.
History of TechnologyWikipedia contributors, Artificial Cardiac Pacemaker (Wikipedia)
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