The Department of Physics

Course Description

Bioengineering involves the application of the physical sciences, mathematics and engineering principles to define and solve problems in the life sciences especially, medicine, biology, health care and other fields. The human body consists of many systems that work together and exemplify excellent design. These systems are susceptible however to damage or failure. The study of bioengineering aims to provide a deeper understanding of the normal functioning of anatomical systems, why they sometimes fail and how they may be repaired or treated. More recently the field of bioengineering has expanded beyond traditional aspects such as large-scale efforts like prosthetics and hospital equipment to include engineering at the molecular and cellular level. This course however will focus on developing an initial understanding of various body systems, the development of prostheses and orthoses, the use of man-made materials in the human body and drug-delivery systems. This course will be delivered through in-class discussions and problem-solving sessions. This course will be assessed through in-course assignments and a final examination.

CONTENT

Overview: Physics of the human body, Bioengineering Sensory systems: Human eye and common defects of the human eye and their treatment, types of vision, spectral sensitivity, and intensity response. Introduction to Skeletal system. Structure of bone. Mechanical properties of bone. Bone remodeling. Structure of Joints. Movement: muscle tissue: organization of Introduction to muscle contraction. Muscle models.  Cardiac muscle and structure of the heart; Cardiac cycle; Phases of the cardiac cycle; Power of the heart; Starling’s Law of the Heart. The neuron: structure of; Nerve impulse and responses. Homeostasis; Feedback systems and control in the human body. Motion analysis: levels of assessment, kinetics vs. kinematics, measurement techniques. Analysis of human motion: free-body diagram, modeling. Biomaterials, prostheses &orthoses, biomaterials, history of orthopaedic implants (hip joint), hip arthroplasty. Heart and circulatory system, heart valve defects, heart valve designs: man-made and biological heart valves, advantages and disadvantages of various types. Heart valve designs cont’d, analysis of fluid flow in human body, types of flow, Equation of continuity, application of Bernoulli’s equation, motion in fluids – turbulence, critical velocity, Reynold’s number, pulsatile flow. Implantable drug delivery systems: pellets, Ommaya reservoir, pump. Disinfection vs. sterilization. Methods of sterilization. Diffusion, Fick’s laws, non-steady state diffusion.

GOALS/AIMS

This course aims to:

• Enable students to develop a good understanding of the Physics of the human body in health and disease and the application of Physics to diagnosis and therapy.
• Produce graduates who can operate (or capable of being trained to operate) effectively as technologists in the medical sector of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.
• Produce graduates with good critical thinking and problem solving skills enabling them to adapt and improvise to address the various technological levels of the medical institutions in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.
• Serve as a training ground for potential research students in the local as well as international environment.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:

• Explain with examples the different professions which apply physics and engineering to the study of medicine and biology;
• Apply basic principles of mechanics to the study of physical and biological systems. science and physics to the study of body functions and to understand the operation of biomedical instrumentation;
• Explain and illustrate how important functions of the human body (action of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and visual systems) are studied using physical principles and quantitative methods;
• Apply basic principles of science and physics to the study of body functions and to understand the operation of biomedical instrumentation;
• Explain and illustrate the issues associated with the use of implantable biomaterials in the human body
• Explain the principles of radiation diagnosis and therapy and the use of nuclear imaging techniques in the medical environment.
• Apply the following competencies within the practical and tutorial activities.
  • Collect, analyse and organise information ( measurement data)
  • Communicate ideas and information (testing & evaluation procedures)
  • Work with others in teams to plan and organise activities(lab activities)
  • Apply mathematical ideas and techniques (calculation and measurements)
  • Solve problems ( related to design, function of circuits, computer programming)
  • Use technology ( related to design and testing of circuits and systems

Assessment