Provide a 7 pages analysis while answering the following question: Biomedical Engineering will Save the World. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is required. In the last 60 years, the field of biomedical engineering which combines physiology and medicine with engineering has led to major advances in the means of diagnosis of disease and for therapy and rehabilitation. Dr. Linda Griffith and Dr. Alan Grodzinsky of MIT, in their paper “Advances in Biomedical Engineering,” write that the most visible contributions of biomedical engineering are in the instrumentation used for diagnosis, therapy, and rehabilitation. The invention of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound imaging instruments in the 1970s provided means of early diagnosis of many major types of disease. These instruments also helped save thousands of lives by detection of internal injuries due to trauma such as accidents. Minimally invasive surgery became possible with the invention of miniature cameras, laser guides, and specialized surgical tools. These techniques have reduced risks and costs for surgical procedures for kidney and gall bladder stones and blockages in blood vessels and intestinal tracts. Implantable pacemakers and vascular stents helped the treatment of cardiovascular disease and cochlear implants helped many deaf people to hear. The development of arthroplasty has enabled the replacement of joints such as knees, hips, and elbows to alleviate chronic pain and improve the quality of life for people with arthritis. With increased understanding of cell and tissue culture, biomedical engineering is poised to deliver even more dramatic advances in the management of medical conditions and faster recovery and rehabilitation from major injuries (Griffith and Grodzinsky). Biomedical engineering has clearly contributed to saving lives and alleviating human suffering in the past 60 years.
The criticism of biomedical engineering arises from the rising costs of medical care. In most fields, advances in technology result in lower costs. In the computer industry or the automobile industry, for example, the products made today are far more efficient and cost less than older products. The focus in these industries has been to make the products affordable to more people each year. The first CT scan machine was developed in 1974 and the cost of the machine in the early 1980s was about $ 450,000. In 2014, the costs have ranged between $ 60,000 and $ 300,000 depending on machine features but the scale of this reduction is not comparable to the computer or the automobile industry. The industry continues to focus on whole-body scanners and has neglected the development of smaller machines for the scan of limbs, joints, or for head injuries that could have lowered the costs of these procedures.  .The high costs of these machines have prevented scanning techniques to be used by general practitioners.