Examples of work carried out by biomedical engineers in the West of Ireland
include:
- Designing and constructing life support equipment
such as respirators and defibrillators.
- Designing instruments and devices for angioplasty
procedures, such as balloon catheters and stents.
- Designing and fabricating implantable artificial
devices such as hip and knee joints.
- Designing and building sensors to quantify
components of the blood's chemistry.
- Developing clinical laboratories and other
units within the hospital and health care delivery system that utilise
advanced technology.
- Constructing and implementing mathematical/computer
models of physiological systems.
- Creating new diagnostic procedures.
- Designing and fabricating biomaterials and
determining the mechanical, transport, and biocompatibility properties
of implantable artificial materials.
Galway is fortunate to be the European headquarters
for three world leading biomedical companies manufacturing devices for
PTCA procedures; Biocompatibles Ltd, Boston Scientific Ireland Ltd, and
Medtronic AVE Ltd. These companies employ over 3000 people directly in
their Manufacturing Facility and Research and Development Centres.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) occurs when cholesterol
fats are deposited in the coronary arteries, narrowing or blocking them,
thereby reducing the heart's blood supply. This build up is called artherosclerotic
plaque. There can be single or multiple blockages and they can vary in
severity and location. For decades physicians have attempted to increase
the diminished blood supply to the heart following coronary artery blockage.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery is a common method used
to treat CAD and has proven to be safe and effective over time. A more
recent and non-invasive technique for treating CAD is Coronary Angioplasty,
or Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA). Coronary Angioplasty
is a procedure that opens blocked coronary arteries, most commonly by
inflating a tiny balloon in the coronary artery. However, there are several
types of angioplasty and the type of procedure chosen depends on the characteristics
of the individual's artery and the extent of the damage caused.
This
is the most common type of angioplasty procedure. A catheter (thin tube)
is guided into the blocked artery. A smaller catheter with a balloon tip
goes into the first catheter and a balloon is inflated to push the plaque
against the artery wall and open the artery. The balloon is then deflated
and the catheter withdrawn. This works by not only compressing the plaque
but also by enlarging the artery.
A stent is a tiny stainless steel cage that is occasionally inserted into
the artery after angioplasty has been performed to help maintain patency
of the artery. It may reduce the rate of restenosis (closing or narrowing
of the artery). When stents are used a patient may need to be on blood
thinning medication to help prevent blood clots.
Instead of pushing the plaque against the wall of the artery, the plaque
is scraped off and removed from the area.
Laser procedures are available, but rarely used to remove plaque in the
coronary arteries. Tiny laser beams are used to cut away the plaque and
reopen the arteries.
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The biomedical industries located in the West of Ireland employ engineers
from many disciplines. Typically engineers with a qualification in either
mechanical, manufacturing, production, electronic or software engineering
are employed.
The technology encountered by
these engineers includes Injection and Insert Moulding, Extrusion, Balloon-forming,
Chemical Coating, Wire-knitting, EDM, Electro-plating, Electro-polishing,
Grinding, Surface Treatment, Laser Welding, Laser Cutting.
Many of the biomedical companies
have located a Research and Development Centre alongside their Manufacturing
Facility. In these centres, engineers work very closely with world leading
physicians on the development of innovative and technology driven products
and processes.
These engineers are constantly working with world
class development tools, experimental techniques, rapid prototyping, CAD,
CAM and Finite Element Analysis techniques.
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