A three-day workshop on biothermal engineering is to be held in April, 1990 under the auspices of the University of Illinois. Approximately fifty engineers and biomedical professionals will listen to presentations and actively participate in discussions on the following topics: the role of vascular anatomy in biothermal processes; the effect of blood perfusion on heat and mass transfer; local and whole body thermal regulation; tissue behavior and injury during freezing and thawing; tissue behavior and injury during heating; instrumentation, measurement, and imaging; and applications to hyperthermia, burns, laser surgery, electro surgery, freezing of tissues, hypothermia, and cryosurgery. Many significant issues related to heat transfer with biomedical applications remain unstudied or wholely empirical primarily because of the complexity of living systems, but also due to cultural differences in the engineering and biomedical communities. This workshop is to be used to educate the two distinct professions and to help layout a single, consistent long range research plan.
