Why Should We Learn About Bioengineering?

The following facts should provide reason enough to learn about bioengineering.

• Approximately 134,000 patients received total hip replacement in 1995. Nearly a third of those surgeries (32.6 %) were performed on patients younger than 65. Women represented 59.7 percent of all hip-replacement patients. Osteoarthritis, the most common reason for hip replacement therapy, gradually damages the cartilage in the hip, allowing the thigh and hip bones to grind together. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. (Last accessed 6 March 2000).
• More than 209,000 people, mostly age 65 and older, have total knee replacements each year to end the pain and restore their mobility. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. (Last accessed 6 March 2000).
• Approximately 50,000 Americans have had part of an arm amputated, and about 3,000 babies are born each year with deformed arms. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. (Last accessed 6 March 2000).
• In 1996 in the United States, there were 79,000 heart valve replacements and 598,000 heart bypass surgeries. American Heart Association Biostatistical Fact Sheet. (Last accessed 6 March 2000)

If you are still not convinced, read the following newspaper report about a boy who lost his ear rescuing two friends from an attacking Rottweiler. Boy who was mauled saving friends now faces cruel taunts

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