Bone Fractures and Engineering
Engineers design the pins, plates, rods and screws used to repair bone fractures.Copyright Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/presentations/100077_3.htm
Students learn about the role engineers and engineering play in repairing severe bone fractures. They acquire knowledge about the design and development of implant rods, pins, plates, screws and bone grafts. Students then can use the associated activity to practice their own bone repairing procedure. They learn about materials science, biocompatibility and minimally-invasive surgery.
Biomedical engineers and materials science engineers create devices that doctors use to repair severe bone fractures. Biomedical engineers design devices that work well with the body, and can be implemented with relatively little pain for the patient and with relative ease by a doctor or surgeon. Materials science engineers create and design materials that are accepted by the body and have properties similar to bone and other human tissues.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe how engineers aid doctors in repairing severe bone fractures.
- Describe two factors that engineers must consider when designing devices to help heal fractured bones.