How well can biomedical engineering advances in healthcare continue to improve? Can
biomedical engineering advances improve, not just the quality of a patient’s physical well
being, but also the health of patients with psychological disorders? How else can
advancements improve the healthcare given to veterans, organ recipients, and cancer
patients of all stages?
Technological innovations have had widespread influence and benefits across all
industries. One of the industries that has benefited greatly from tech innovation has been
the health industry. Mechanical and robotic engineering have had a significant influence in
the development of prosthetics and healthcare monitoring technologies. The goal of
hospitals is to provide effective and efficient care for the patient. New technologies; such
as the MelaFind, have aided doctors in reducing the number of unnecessary medical
procedures. (Top 5 Medical Technology Innovations. (n.d.) MelaFind has allowed doctors
to detect if certain skin moles are cancerous or benign. (Advances in Biomedical
Engineering. (n.d.) This has reduced the number of skin biopsies and has led to fewer
unnecessary procedures. Technological progress has given the healthcare industry
wearable technologies. EKG machines, cell phones, beepers, and heart monitors that are
all essential to the care and maintenance of hospitals and patients alike. Also, with further
advancements in biomedical technologies the possibility of targeting tumors more
effectively is becoming possible. With the conception of Nano technology physicians can
deliver drugs directly into the location of tumor and no other place in the body. The
melding of technology and medicine has been a fruitful endeavor. It has shown just how
much patient quality of treatment can improve with minor upgrades. Vast research and
improvements in nanotechnology, and imaging software will continue to improve
diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and viruses.
How are stem cells shaping the medical field? Has the widespread use of stem cells lead to
dramatic improvements in patient recovery? Are stem cells a viable form of treatment for
certain diseases or tissue damage?
Since their use in widespread medical techniques, stem cells have accrued notoriety
amongst medical specialists. Stem cells have a wide variety of functions. This flexibility
allows them to further accelerate research in treatments of all sorts of diseases.
Researchers looking to address the shortage of livers for transplants have used stem cells
to generate liver buds from stem cells that were taken from human skin. (Lupkin, S. (n.d.)
When these cells were mixed with two other kinds of cells, they created a primitive liver
