Bioengineering and Materials Science

MicroElectronic Devices in Cardiovascular Applications (MEDICA), continued

Professor Robin Shandas, at top, who has a joint appointment between Mechanical Engineering and the CU Health Sciences Center, works with students Jason Cooke, at left, and Matt Boardman to evaluate the behavior of MEMS devices in a cardiovascular test chamber.

One of the major areas of research revolves around the idea of using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for chronic on-line monitoring and treatment of patients. MEMS are engineering subsystems that can be fabricated using silicon wafer technology on a microscale. They can be used both as internal sensors and actuators, measuring blood flow or blood pressure, assisting blood flow or providing local drug delivery. They could also serve as cardiac assist devices to supply all or most of the cardiac output in failing hearts.

A neural network based, intelligent phonocardiographic device to distinguish between innocent and pathological murmurs in children, and an instrumented mechanical valve that can provide chronic in-vivo evaluation of its performance are some of the other active projects in the center.

The center is co-hosted by the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine/Cardiology and Radiology at the CU Health Sciences Center. For further information, contact Prof. Roop Mahajan, 303-492-7750, or Dr. Lilliam Valdes-Cruz, 303-861-6820.