Introduction to Cardiovascular and Respiratory Physiology

At the end of this course, the students should be able to: 1. state Starling’s law of the heart and describe the application of the law in keeping the output of the left and right ventricles equal; 2. describe how ionic currents contribute to the four phases of the cardiac action potential; 3. explain the ionic mechanism of pacemaker automaticity and rhythmicity, and identify cardiac cells that have pacemaker potential and their spontaneous rate; 4. identify neural and humoral factors that influence their rate; 5. describe the various phases of ventricular systole and ventricular diastole; 6. describe the timing and causes of the four heart sounds; 7. explain why the ECG tracing looks different in each of the 12 leads; 8. explain the principles underlying cardiac output measurements using the Fick principle, dye dilution, and thermodilution methods; 9. list the factors that shift laminar flow to turbulent flow; 10. describe the relationship between velocity, viscosity, and audible events, such as murmurs and bruits; 11. describe how arterial systolic, diastolic, mean, and pulse pressure are affected by changes in a) stroke volume, b) heart rate, c) arterial compliance, and d) total peripheral resistance; 12. define the Starling equation and discuss how each component influences fluid movement across the capillary wall; 13. list the anatomical components of the baroreceptor reflex; 14. explain three positive feedback mechanisms activated during severe hemorrhage that may lead to circulatory collapse and death; 15. define compliance and identify two common clinical conditions in which lung compliance is higher or lower than normal; 16. list the factors that determine total lung capacity, functional residual capacity, and residual volume; 17. define surface tension and describe how it applies to lung mechanics, including the effects of alveolar size and the role of surfactants; 18. explain how the shape of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve influences the uptake and delivery of oxygen; 19. list the forms in which carbon dioxide is carried in the blood; and 20. identify the regions in the central nervous system that play important roles in the generation and control of normal respiration.

The heart; events of the cardiac cycle. Control of cardiac contractility. Cardiac electrophysiology. Properties of cardiac muscles. Cardiac output - measurement and control. Haemodynamics of circulation. Arterial blood pressure and its regulation. Cardiovascular reflexes. Peripheral resistance and local control of the circulation. Regional blood flow. Cardiovascular changes in exercise, haemorrhage and shock. Respiratory physiology – functions of upper respiratory tract. Mechanics of respiration including compliance. Surfactant. Lung volume and capacities. Pulmonary gas exchange. Blood gas transport. Pulmonary function tests. Nervous and chemical control of respiration. Response to hypoxia, high altitude, exercise and artificial respiration.