| Unit name | Paediatric Heart Disease |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SOCSM0006 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Ghorbel |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) | |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Bristol Medical School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will give an overview of the pathology and treatments of congenital heart defects (CHD). These abnormalities of heart structure or function, that are present at birth, affect about 1% of born babies and can prove dangerous or even deadly. They include heart valve defects, atrial and ventricular septa defects, stenosis and heart muscle abnormalities. Babies born with CHD will need many interventions or surgeries during their life. About 80% of CHD children who survive the first year of life will live into adulthood but not without risk of requiring an intervention or surgery as adults. Currently there is about 250,000 adults living with CHD in UK and this population is expanding by almost 5% per year. This unit aim is to highlight the need for improved treatments for CHD and discuss new therapeutic approaches that could reduce the number of interventions/surgeries that a patient has to go through.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The knowledge acquired on normal cardiac function during the Heart and Valve Disease unit will give context to the congenital abnormalities and resulting complications discussed in this unit. Similarly, cardiac physiology in the immature heart will be compared to the mature heart, building on Heart and Valve Disease by discussing cardiac protection strategies specifically in neonatal hearts. Furthermore, graphical abstract production and lay abstract writing will prepare you for your final dissertation in the Research Project unit (MSc students only).
An overview of content
This unit will introduce the clinical problem of paediatric and adult congenital heart disease. It will provide an overview of the genomics and epidemiology of congenital heart disease and describe the pathology of congenital heart defects and their complications. The catheter and surgical interventions currently used to correct heart defects will be outlined, including possible post-intervention complications. Additionally, strategies used for heart protection (during and after corrective surgery) will be described. Finally, emerging stem cell approaches for graft tissue engineering will be discussed.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will be able to describe congenital heart defects and understand the additional challenges associated with cardiac surgery on paediatric patients and be able to critically evaluate the emerging research into novel corrective approaches. You will be able to effectively summarise complex research in the form of a graphical abstract, and feel more confident communicating science to a lay audience.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing this unit you will be able to:
The core content will be delivered via in-person lectures (campus students) or lecture recordings (online students). Lecture recordings will be available to all students so you can review the lecture material multiple times at your own pace, with the inclusion of captions. Lectures will be supplemented with additional teaching methods such as:
Students will be given formative feedback on all coursework assessments to aid their learning.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan:
If you do not pass the unit, you will normally be given the opportunity to take a reassessment as per the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes. Decisions on the award of reassessment will normally be taken after all taught units of the year have been completed. Reassessment will normally be in a similar format to the original assessment that has been failed.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SOCSM0006).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
