Medical engineering

Japanese: 医用工学 - いようこうがく（英語表記）medical engineering

Medical electronics is also known as ME, which is an acronym for medical engineering. It is an academic field that incorporates technologies, methods, ideas, and equipment developed in engineering into medicine to be useful in medical treatment, health management, disease prevention, and basic medicine. Bionics, which applies knowledge of biology and medicine to engineering, is also an important branch of medical engineering. Terms such as bioengineering or biological engineering and biomedical engineering (BME) can be considered to be roughly synonymous with medical engineering. Important items in medical engineering include the following: (1) Measurement of living organisms Electrocardiographs, electroencephalographs, electromyographs, and electroretinal monitors for measuring bioelectrical phenomena; Electrical sphygmomanometers, tonometers, phonocardiographs, electromagnetic blood flow meters, respiratory flow meters, electronic thermometers, and thermographs for measuring biophysical phenomena; X-ray devices, ultrasound diagnostic devices, and telemeters for biomedical testing; and automatic biochemical analyzers and automatic blood cell counters for specimen testing. (2) Recording and processing of biological information Automatic diagnostic equipment for electrocardiograms and electroencephalograms, small medical recorders, patient monitoring devices, delivery monitors, automatic cytology devices that apply image processing technology, etc. (3) Biological model engineering Computer simulations that mathematically mimic biological phenomena and are useful for elucidating biological mechanisms. Electrical, mechanical, and chemical simulations, patient simulators used in medical education, etc. (4) Biological action engineering Electrical stimulation of the living body such as cardiac pacemakers and electric anesthesia, laser scalpels, ultrasonic treatment devices, electric scalpels, cryosurgery, biological adhesives, etc. (5) Substitutes for biological functions Various artificial organs, etc. (6) Medical systems engineering Medical information systems that apply systems engineering to medicine, hospital automation, remote medical care, regional medical systems, organ banks, etc. (7) Bionics Instrumentation of biosensors that living organisms have, perceptrons as a way to realize the functions of brain mechanisms, etc. Biomedical engineering started as a field of medical applications of electronics, but with the participation of various fields of engineering, such as mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, optics, fluid mechanics, and systems engineering, it has gradually developed into a large interdisciplinary field with a wide range of boundaries. In Japan, the Japan Society of Medical Engineering was established in 1962. There is also an international federation called IFBME.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

医用電子工学 medical electronicsまたは医用工学 medical engineeringの頭文字をとり MEとも呼ばれている。工学において発展した技術，手法，考え方，機器などを医学に取入れて，診療，健康管理，病気の予防，基礎医学などに役立たせようとする学問領域をいう。生物学や医学の知見を工学面に応用するバイオニクス bionicsなども，医用工学の重要な一部門である。生体工学 bioengineeringまたは biological engineering，医用生体工学 BME (biomedical engineering) などの語も，医用工学とほぼ同義と考えてよい。医用工学の重要な項目として，以下のものがあげられる。 (1) 生体の計測　生体電気現象測定のための心電計，脳波計，筋電計，網膜電位計など。生体物理現象測定のための電気血圧計，眼圧計，心音計，電磁血流計，呼吸流量計，電子体温計，サーモグラフなど。生体検査のためのX線装置，超音波診断装置，テレメータなど。検体検査のための自動生化学分析装置，自動血球計数装置などが含まれる。 (2) 生体情報の記録処理　心電図や脳波の自動診断機，医用小型記録装置，患者監視装置，分娩モニター，画像処理技術を応用した自動細胞診装置など。 (3) 生体のモデル工学　数学的に生体現象を模擬して，生体のメカニズムの解明に役立たせるコンピュータ・シミュレーション。電気的，機械的，化学的な模擬，医学教育に用いる患者シミュレータなど。 (4) 生体への作用工学　心臓ペースメーカー，電気麻酔などの生体への電気刺激，レーザーメス，超音波治療装置，電気メス，冷凍外科，生体接着剤など。 (5) 生体機能の代行　各種の人工臓器など。 (6) 医用システム工学　システム工学を医学に応用した医療情報システム，ホスピタル・オートメーション，遠隔医療，地域医療システム，臓器バンクなど。 (7) バイオニクス　生物がもつバイオセンサーの装置化，脳メカニズムの機能実現としてのパーセプトロンなど。エレクトロニクスの医学応用として出発した医用工学であったが，機械工学，化学工学，光学，流体力学，システム工学など，工学全般の参加によって，次第に広い境界領域をもつ，大きい学際的分野として発展してきた。日本では，1962年に日本 ME学会が設立された。国際的な連合 IFBMEもある。

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