Biomedical Engineering Fundamentals and Principles

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Biomedical Engineering Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, including device designs, polymers, physiological pH, tonicity, and membrane structure.

Drug Eluting Stent

A medical device placed inside a collapsed body lumen to expand and keep it open, designed with slow-release drug properties to prevent surrounding tissue from growing back into the lumen.

Tissue Engineering

A biomedical engineering focus directed at growing cells and tissues inside porous materials, differing from materials science which primarily focuses on the material properties itself.

FDA 510(k) Process

A medical device clearance pathway where a new product is approved by demonstrating that it is substantially equivalent and works similarly to an already approved product.

Covalent Polymer

A polymer held together by strong covalent bonds, making it difficult to break down and allowing it to remain intact in the body for a long duration.

Non-covalent Polymer

A polymer bound by weaker electrostatic or ionic interactions, which breaks down easily when exposed to surrounding ions or salts.

Human Body pH

The essential physiological pH level of the human body, maintained at $7.4$, necessary for cell and enzyme functionality.

pH Concentration Difference

The logarithmic difference in hydrogen ion concentration where a change of $2$ pH units (e.g., between pH $5$ and pH $7$) represents a $100$-fold ($10^2$) difference in hydrogen ion concentration.

Isotonic Solution

A solution that has the exact same tonicity and solute concentration as human blood, preserving normal cell volume without causing swelling or shrinkage.

Hypotonic Solution

A solution with a lower solute concentration than the inside of a cell, causing water to flow into the cell until it swells and potentially pops.

Hypertonic Solution

A solution with a higher solute concentration than the inside of a cell, causing water to draw out of the cell and leading it to shrink.

Amphipathic Molecule

A molecule that contains both hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-fearing) regions within the same structure.

Phospholipid Bilayer

A two-layer membrane structure made of phospholipids, where the hydrophilic heads face outward toward aqueous environments and the hydrophobic tails point inward away from water.