Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE MDS1032

 
TITLE Cardiovascular System

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 8

 
DEPARTMENT Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit covers the relationships between structure and function of the human cardiovascular system. It involves the understanding of the flow of blood through the heart and great vessels, the mechanical and electrical properties of the heart, regulation of lipids and other factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. and a basic understanding of the pathology and pharmacological therapeutics of common heart diseases. The principles of informed consent and public health implications of cardiovascular disease are covered here.

In addition to lectures, there will also be Critical Thinking Sessions. These are based on carefully selected clinical cases that are intended to stimulate the student to think and discuss critically the presented problems and to formulate basic scientific and clinical concepts as well as ethical, behavioural and professional principles.

The study-unit will also include Clinical Skills sessions wherein clinicians together with experts in various disciplines will discuss common clinical conditions and supplement the clinical information presented in the Critical Thinking Sessions.

The common features of these learning sessions is that they involve active participation, are student-centered and conducive to independent learning as a prelude to continuing life-long education.

Study-Unit Aims:

This study-unit provides a foundation for the clinical evaluation and management of patients with cardiovascular disease. It provides students in the biomedical sciences with an integrated approach to the study of the cardiovascular system including the gross and microscopic anatomy, how the cardiovascular system functions in health and disease, and an introduction to laboratory tests, imaging and therapeutics relevant to the cardiovascular system.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Describe the anatomy of the heart and related structures
- Describe the principals of cardiovascular physiology; including both the electrical activity of the heart and the haemodynamics of the system
- Illustrate the correlation between the structure and function of the cardiovascular system
- Explain the underlying basic science behind selected clinical scenarios

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Name the gross and microscopic features, detailed blood supply and innervation of the heart, its chambers, valves and great vessels and their clinical correlates.
- Outline the surface projections and methods of clinical examination of the heart, its valves and great vessels.
- Outline the development of the cardiovascular system and how this relates to common developmental anomalies.
- Explain the anatomical basis for the localization of pain arising from heart disease.
- Describe the conducting system of the heart and the reflex control of heart rate.
- Construct simple pressure-volume diagrams from the events during the cardiac cycle and annotate these graphs with valve openings and closures and correlate these with electrocardiographic events.
- Construct an integrated picture of the various systems that control blood pressure and apply this to specific clinical examples involving blood loss or fluid overload.
- Explain the physiological changes that occur in the cardiovascular system in response to pregnancy.
- Outline the renin-angiotensin system and its role in the aetiology of hypertension.
- Obtain an accurate measurement of systolic and diastolic blood pressures using a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. -Describe a systematic approach to ECG interpretation.
- Interpret simple clinical cases involving the cardiovascular system (including angina, myocardial infarction, valve disease and thromboembolism) in terms of disordered anatomy and physiology and the basic drugs used to treat these conditions.
- Outline the genetic and lifestyle factors influencing and the public health implications of cardiovascular disease.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Text for Physiology
Introduction to Cardiovascular Physiology
Herring N, Paterson D J,
ISBN 9781498739849
6th edition

Cardiovascular Physiology Concepts
Klabunde R E.
ISBN 1975150074
3rd Edition

Textbook of Medical Physiology
Guyton & Hall
13th Edition, 2006, Saunders
ISBN: 978-0-7216-0240-0

Main Text for Biochemistry
Mark's Basic Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach
Michael Lieberman, Allan D. Marks
4th Edition, Walters Kluwer/ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ISBN: 0-13:978-0-7817-7022-4

Main Texts for Anatomy

Gray’s Dissection guide for Human Anatomy,
by Morton, Peterson and Albertine
2nd Edition, 2006
ISBN-13: 978-0443069512
ISBN-10: 0443069514

Clinical Anatomy by Regions,
Richard. S. Snell
98th Edition 2007, Lippincott
ISBN-10: 0-7817-6404-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-7817-6404-9

OR

Clinical Anatomy by Systems,
Richard. S. Snell
April 2006
ISBN-10: 0-7817-9164-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-7817-9164-9


Main Text for Pathology
General and Systematic Pathology,
JCE Underwood
5th Edition, Churchill Livingstone
ISBN 0443073341

Robbins Basic Pathology
V Kumar, A K Abbas, N Fausto, R Mitchell,
10th Edition , Saunders
ISBN 1416029737


Main Texts for Pharmacology
Clinical Pharmacology: With STUDENTCONSULT Access (Paperback)
P. N. Bennett, Morris J. Brown
12th Edition, 2007 Churchill Livingstone
ISBN-10: 0443102449
ISBN-13: 978-0443102448

Pharmacology: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access (Paperback)
Humphrey P. Rang, Maureen M. Dale, James M. Ritter BM, Rod Flower
7th Edition, 2007 Churchill Livingstone
ISBN-10: 0443069115
ISBN-13: 978-0443069116

Supplementary Readings
Imaging Atlas of Human Anatomy
Weir, Jamie and Abrahams, Peter
6th Edition, 2003.
ISBN-10: 0-7234-3211-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-7234-3211-1

Wheater's functional Histology. A text and colour atlas.
Young, Lowe, Stevens, Heath and Deakin
6th Edition, 2006. Churchill Livingstone
ISBN-13: 978-0-443-06850-8
ISBN-10: 0-443-06850-X

Langman's Medical Embryology
T.W. Sadler
13th Edition
ISBN-10: 0781794854
ISBN-13: 9780781794855

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Pre-requisite Qualifications: Entry requirements of the MD Course
Pre-requisite Study-units: All MD study-units are compulsory

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Independent Study, Project and Tutorial

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Multiple Choice Questions Examination (1 Hour) SEM1 Yes 40%
Multiple Choice Questions Examination (2 Hours) SEM2 Yes 60%

 
LECTURER/S Oscar Aquilina
Claude Julien Bajada (Co-ord.)
Liam Butler
Marie Therese Camilleri Podesta'
Ramona Camilleri
Sarah Cuschieri
Roger Ellul Micallef
Joseph Galea
Nikolai Pace
Olaf Woods

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit