page_title: Biomedical engineering
section_title: Implants
hierarchical_section_title: Biomedical engineering / Medical devices / Implants
caption_attribution_description: A soldier in the U.S. Army plays fooz-ball with two prosthetic limbs. Courtesy of the U.S. Army, by Walter Reed photographers. Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army
context_page_description: Biomedical engineering or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes. BME is also traditionally known as "bioengineering", but this term has come to also refer to biological engineering. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine, combining the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical biological sciences to advance health care treatment, including diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy. Also included under the scope of a biomedical engineer is the management of current medical equipment within hospitals while adhering to relevant industry standards. This involves making equipment recommendations, procurement, routine testing and preventive maintenance, a role also known as a Biomedical Equipment Technician or as clinical engineering.
  Biomedical engineering has recently emerged as its own study, as compared to many other engineering fields. Such an evolution is common as a new field transitions from being an interdisciplinary specialization among already-established fields, to being considered a field in itself.
context_section_description: An implant is a kind of medical device made to replace and act as a missing biological structure (as compared with a transplant, which indicates transplanted biomedical tissue). The surface of implants that contact the body might be made of a biomedical material such as titanium, silicone or apatite depending on what is the most functional. In some cases, implants contain electronics, e.g. artificial pacemakers and cochlear implants. Some implants are bioactive, such as subcutaneous drug delivery devices in the form of implantable pills or drug-eluting stents.
caption: Artificial limbs: The right arm is an example of a prosthesis, and the left arm is an example of myoelectric control.
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