Development of an artificial organ design course

Over the last 50 years, artificial organs have had a significant impact on the types and quality of medical care available today. In order to address this important field, the Department of Bioengineering at the Pennsylvania State University offers a course entitled "Artificial Organ Design." This senior and graduate level course emphasizes the following objectives: 1. Understanding engineering design and problem solving techniques with special emphasis placed on the Food and Drug Administration's design control process for medical devices. 2. Familiarity with various engineering issues surrounding the design of artificial organs including biomaterials and biocompatibility, design principles for tissue and blood contact, power systems for implanted systems, and control of artificial organs. 3. Understanding the regulatory approval process for artificial organs including codes and regulations, reliability, and device testing. 4. Application of this knowledge to the design of artificial organs including circulatory support devices, drug delivery systems, artificial lungs and oxygenators, artificial kidney, pacemakers, neural prostheses, prosthetic heart valves, orthopedic implants, bioartificial organs (tissue engineering), and cardiopulmonary bypass. These lectures demonstrate how the techniques and knowledge presented in the first part of the class are applied to the design of artificial organs. The students then complete a final design project for an artificial organ of their own choosing.