SMi Source Lesson Cardiovascular Primer

  • SMi Source lesson Cardiovascular Primer has the following microlearning topics

    • 1. Introduction

    2. Blood

    3. Blood Vessels

    4. Lymphatic System

    5. Heart

    6. Cardiac Cycle

  • Lesson Cardiovascular Primer teaches these concepts

    • Overview, Blood Vessels

    Cardiovascular Disease, CVD, Prevalence of CVD

    Routine treatments, Pharmacotherapy, Invasive Procedures

    New therapies, Approaches

  • Lesson Cardiovascular Primer addresses these key points

    • Human Circulatory System:

    • Cardiovascular System distributes blood
      - Heart
      - Blood
      - Blood Vessels
    • Lymphatic System distributes lymph

    At an average heart rate of seventy beats per minute, the human heart will beat spontaneously and continuously some three billion times by the age of 80. If all of the vessels in the complex network of arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules and veins in your body were laid end-to-end, they would extend for about 60,000 miles.

    Prevalence of CVD

    • 80 million American adults
    • 1 in 3 individuals

    CVD is comprised of:

    • Hypertension (HTN)
    • Coronary heart disease
    • Heart failure Stroke
    • Peripheral Arterial Disease

    Since the early 1900s, cardiovascular disease has accounted for more morbidity and mortality in the U.S. than any other major cause. Heart disease is the number one cause of death and disability in the United States and kills more Americans each year than cancer.

    A need for new cardiovascular disease therapies:

    • Current therapies not always effective in all patients
    • Tolerance may develop
    • Adverse effects may prevent use
    • Drug-drug interactions may make a treatment ineffective

    Approaches:

    • Optimization of medication regimens
    • Exploration of available therapies used in combination
    • Development of new therapies
      - Pharmacotherapy
      - Coated stents
      - Left ventricular assist devices
      - Biventricular pacing

  • Lesson Cardiovascular Primer is built from these main references. Log into SMi Source for a complete list and details.

    • Marieb EN. The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels. In: Human Anatomy and Physiology. United States:  The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc.; 1995:643-693.

    Lloyd-Jones D, et al., for the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2009 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation. 2009;119:e21-e181.

    Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website. Chronic Disease Overview. Leading Causes of Death United States, 2005 Number of deaths.

    Iaizzo PA. General Features of the Cardiovascular System. In: Paul A. Iaizzo, ed. Handbook of Cardiac Anatomy, Physiology, and Devices. United States: Humana Press, Inc.; 2005:3-11.