MSc Prosthetics & Orthotics

This module aims to expand understanding of disability and its impact on societies. The World Health Organisations Report on Disability ,and the United Nations Convention of Rights for People with Disability (UN CRPD) will be used as a basis to raise awareness and appreciation of disability and the effect on society, and future impact.

Throughout this module, students will be expected to:

• investigate the current literature on global issues and rights surrounding disability
• critically evaluate and discuss different societies consider the implementation of these rights
• appraise the effects international societies and different organisational impact such as NGOs persons with disability, and their effectiveness and longevity
• evaluate the effectiveness of long term change in each society considered
• appraise future research requirements to evidence disability and its impact on societies across the globe as a priority for fully embedded evidence-based change

This dissertation aims to provide an opportunity for students to experience the challenges and rewards of sustained, independent study in a topic of their own choice in the general field of Prosthetics & Orthotics.

It will involve students in a number of processes which may include justification of the selected topic; selecting, devising and applying appropriate methods and techniques; anticipating and solving problems which arise; displaying knowledge of background literature; and evaluating and reporting the conclusions of the study.

The dissertation is likely to take the form of a literature review. This project work will have been supported by a compulsory research methods module and specialist knowledge classes throughout the year designed to assist with technical aspects of methodology and analysis.

The object of the project is to expand and enlarge on work within the clinically applied fields of prosthetics and/or orthotics or a revised topic in order to prepare a full paper for submission to a referee engineering journal.

This may involve further research and background study, further experimental and/or simulation work, more detailed analysis and discussion of results, or other activities, to be agreed by the individual supervisor.

The full paper will be prepared by the student, under supervision, in the correct format from submission to the chosen journal.

The primary aim of the class is to give students practice and experience of integrating different strands of rehabilitation engineering, design and business input to a prosthetic and orthotic investigation or design.  The content will relate to a realistic context and the class will prepare students for situations which they may encounter in subsequent employment and future research.

You'll be provided with instruction in key areas of human anatomy, physiology and cell biology relevant to the advanced study of bio and clinical engineering. You'll gain an understanding of normal biological function and control as derived from scientific and clinical evidence.

The class aims to educate you to use your knowledge of normal function to better understand pathology, disease diagnosis and treatment.

This class aims to:

• provide an introduction to the philosophy, ethics and methodology of research
• outline the role that the bioengineer plays in the solution of clinical problems
• provide training in the principles, assessment and application of safety procedures  in areas relevant to medical physics and biomedical engineering
• engender an awareness of the importance of regulatory issues in medical device design and manufacturing

You'll learn to describe the developments and advances in regenerative/repair medicine in terms of

• Source of cells
• Cell expansion/seeding and bioreactor technology
• Tissue scaffolds: design criteria, fabrication and characterisation
• Clinical status of replacement tissues and organs

This class aims to provide you with the ability to appraise the role of biomechanics and biomechanical measurement techniques in the development and evaluation of clinical practice in rehabilitation and in the production and management of sports injuries. The class will also allow you to assess the role of biomechanics and biomechanical measurement in the improvement of human function and the optimising of sports performance.  The class will focus on orthopaedic and neurological issues.

This class aims to familiarise students with the fundamentals and concepts of signals and systems (both continuous-time and discrete-time), and to develop a framework for processing and analysing a variety of biomedical signals and images (biosignals), including electrocardiograms (ECGs) and magnetic resonance images.

You'll also develop valuable Mathcad and MATLAB signal/image processing skills, through non-compulsory self-study laboratory exercises.

This class aims to:

• provide fundamental information on the properties of synthetic biomaterials, and how these are evaluated experimentally and from the literature
• outline how material properties are influenced by methods of processing
• explore with the aid of appropriate examples what is meant by biocompatibility; provide an overview of the host responses to and interactions with biomaterials, and how these interactions are assessed and influenced by surface properties
• introduce the principles of toxicology, identify the major toxic interactions with foreign chemicals and the protective mechanisms which enable us to survive most toxic insults. Assessment of  the safety of materials according to the International Standards will be discussed

This class aims to:

• give students a broad overview of cardiovascular devices used in the clinical setting for the treatment of a range of clinical conditions
• demonstrate and develop an understanding of the clinical, design and regulatory challenges involved in developing devices for this clinical sector
• offer some insight into the pathologies underlying the need for cardiovascular device technologies

This module aims to give students an insight into the complexities of blood flow, and how the laws of fluid relate to the flow of blood in health and disease, and the design of cardiovascular prostheses and devices, in particular.

The basic principles underlying the measurement of blood pressure and flow will be explored in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

This module aims to provide experience of using numerical modelling tools, in particular Matlab, in a Biomedical Engineering context. For those with no knowledge of matlab, some pre-class preparatory work will be required and expected.

Case studies will be presented from the departmental research portfolio that require the use of numerical modelling. These case studies will be explained in detail, together with a methodology of the required numerical modelling to answer the research question. Students will be expected to write their own code to answer the research question, to appropriately graphically present results and to interpret the results in context.

This module aims to introduce the concepts and the design of medical robotics and its applications in various medical disciplines including, interventions, surgery and rehabilitation.

The course focuses on fundamental principles such as kinematics, dynamics, control and artificial intelligent combined with medical applications and examples.