An Introduction to Veterinary Medicine Engineering

Do cephalopods change color when under distress? Is the reptilian heart analogous to a diaphragm positive displacement pump? Are digital twins the answer for animal experimentation? This book explores the new field of veterinary engineering science and discusses how to better measure vital signs in exotic and companion animals. A vast opportunity exists for developing novel technologies that target reductions to the number of invasive procedures patients are subjected to. We examine improvements to animal care and enhancement of animal welfare while creating a more sustainable veterinary healthcare ecosystem. The authors address the challenges engineers face in designing healthcare equipment for animals and how the field of veterinary engineering contributes to traditional veterinary medicine. This book brings a novel field of engineering to train future veterinarians and engineers on design and application of technology to veterinary medicine.

Serves as a learning resource for the training and education of veterinary students, veterinarians and engineers

Demonstrates through experiments and case studies the merging point between engineering and veterinary medicine

Discusses concepts and issues associated with engineering and veterinary medicine

Illustrates veterinary challenges using an engineering-design approach

Provides examples of veterinary applications with successful outcomes, incorporating step-by-step directions for engineers

Dr. Nadja Bressan is an Assistant Professor at Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Charlottetown, Canada. She received a BS in Industrial Automation from Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Brazil, in 2005; MSc in Automation, Instrumentation and Control in 2007 and PhD (European Doctorate) in Biomedical Engineering in 2011 from Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal where she developed the first Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system for total intravenous anesthesia using Target Controlled Infusion in the neurosurgery environment. She moved to Canada in 2011 to join Ontario Tech University and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto as a postdoctoral fellow. At UPEI since 2011, her research program is based on Veterinary Medicine Engineering. This novel field aims to improve therapeutics, animal care, and animal research developing models to replicate human and animal real-time data as digital twin, enabling learning and reasoning dynamically to improve decision-making of physicians, veterinarians, and scientists without exploiting animals.

Dr. Catherine Creighton is an Associate Professor of Anesthesia and Analgesia at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island. She received her DVM from the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), University of PEI (UPEI) in 1995 and then worked in mixed animal private practice in the United States and Canada. She returned to academia and completed a combined residency in Anaesthesia and Analgesia and Master of Science program at the AVC, UPEI in 2011. From 2011 to 2013 she was a Lecturer in Anaesthesia & Analgesia at the Companion Animal Health Centre, School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, the University of Adelaide, Australia. Dr. Creighton is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia. Dr. Creighton received the 2014 Students of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Teacher of the Year Award and the 2019 Zoetis Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teacher Award. She is the Veterinary Principal Investigator in several projects exploring animal monitoring during anesthesia, surgical enhancement, and augmented reality models for veterinary medicine.