The Biomedical Engineering Fundamentals

During the past eight years since the publication of the third edition—a three-volume set—of The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, the field of biomedical engineering has continued to evolve and expand. As a result, the fourth edition has been significantly modified to reflect state-of-the-field knowl- edge and applications in this important discipline and has been enlarged to a four-volume set: • • • • Volume I: Biomedical Engineering Fundamentals Volume II: Medical Devices and Human Engineering Volume III: Biomedical Signals, Imaging, and Informatics Volume IV: Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering More specifically, this fourth edition has been considerably updated and contains completely new ­sections, including • Stem Cell Engineering • Drug Design, Delivery Systems, and Devices • Personalized Medicine as well as a number of substantially updated sections, including • • • • • • Tissue Engineering (which has been completely restructured) Transport Phenomena and Biomimetic Systems Artificial Organs Medical Imaging Infrared Imaging Medical Informatics In addition, Volume IV contains a chapter on ethics because of its ever-increasing role in the biomedical engineering arts. Nearly all the sections that have appeared in the first three editions have been significantly revised. Therefore, this fourth edition presents an excellent summary of the status of knowledge and activities of biomedical engineers in the first decades of the twenty-first century. As such, it can serve as an excellent reference for individuals interested not only in a review of fundamental physiology but also in quickly being brought up to speed in certain areas of biomedical engineering research. It can serve as an excel- lent textbook for students in areas where traditional textbooks have not yet been developed and as an excellent review of the major areas of activity in each biomedical engineering sub-discipline, such as biomechanics, biomaterials, bioinstrumentation, medical imaging, and so on. Finally, it can serve as the “bible” for practicing biomedical engineering professionals by covering such topics as historical perspective of medical technology, the role of professional societies, the ethical issues associated with medical technology, and the FDA process.