Techtronics Biomedical Devices Unit
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Published on TeachEngineering by Techtronics
Click on links below to access the Techtronics Biomedical Devices Unit, “Surgical Device Engineering,” published on the Teachengineering website.
Unit: Surgical Device Engineering
- Lesson: Medical Instrumentation
- Activity: Surgical Resident for a Day
- Lesson: Put Your Heart into Engineering
- Activity: No Valve in Vain
Unit Description
The Biomedical Devices unit, “Surgical Device Engineering,” gives the students a brief overview of an incredibly broad field by introducing the students to different areas of biomedical engineering (BME) each week. Specifically, the unit deals with surgical devices.
The first lesson, “Medical Instrumentation,” introduces students to minimally invasive surgical procedures. Students discuss special considerations that must be made when design devices that interact with the human body and gain an appreciation for the devices that have improved our quality of lives. During the “Surgical Resident for a Day” activity, students step into the role of laparoscopic surgeons. The class begins with a brief lecture to familiarize the students with the concept of laparoscopic surgery. Students are shown images from typical surgeries and asked to discuss the potential benefits of such a procedure. Then, as a team, they are asked to use surgical instruments to complete tasks inside small boxes. The teams of student surgeons can see inside the boxes with the help of a “laparoscopes” (webcam and flashlight). The activity is based on an actual training activity for surgical residents (Summa Health System, Akron, OH).
The rest of the BME devices unit is dedicated to examining engineering involved in the vascular system. The “Put Your Heart into Engineering” lesson contains background information about the vascular system and the heart. Students also discuss the different sizes of capillaries, veins, and arteries, and how they affect blood flow through the system. The class then discusses the heart’s function in the blood vascular system. Finally, students discuss heart valves, how they work and what might cause them to fail. This leads to the “No Valve in Vain” activity in which students play the role of biomedical engineers when they design and build heart valves.
