| Unit name | Cardiovascular Disease |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0073 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Bond |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| 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?
As a perfusionist, most of the adult patients you manage on cardiopulmonary bypass will have cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is crucial that you should have a good understanding of their clinical problem, the disease processes involved, treatment options and how their disease impacts you as a perfusionist. This unit will enable you to get a picture of your patients’ journey by providing an overview of current methods of diagnosis and assessment of disease severity from GP to clinic. Despite medical advances, cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide; this unit outlines the epidemiology, and impact of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular disease, with a focus on atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. An understanding of the mode of action, benefits and limitations of current and emerging drug and interventional treatments, including surgical strategies, requires knowledge of the underlying pathobiology. The mechanisms involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, as well as graft restenosis are a focus of this unit.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The Cardiovascular Disease unit follows Foundations in Clinical Perfusion Science, which includes normal heart and vasculature physiology, and builds on this to consider these organ systems in the context of cardiovascular disease. This will give you a good understanding of the diseases affecting your patients and how they have ended up requiring cardiac surgery. This unit introduces cardiopulmonary bypass as an important component of the surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery bypass grafting. It precedes Adult Cardiopulmonary Bypass Principles and Practice, which focuses in on detailed aspects of perfusion theory and practice.
An overview of content
During this unit you will learn about the clinical problem of cardiovascular disease with a focus on coronary artery disease and extracranial cerebrovascular disease. You will be provided with an overview of methods currently used for patient diagnosis and assessment of disease severity from GP to clinic, including ECG, angiogram, imaging (IVUS, PET) and biomarkers. The impact of genomics on cardiovascular disease, common risk factors (including hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, smoking), and its epidemiology will be discussed. We will explore the broad but detailed underlying pathobiological mechanisms of cardiovascular disease focusing on atherosclerosis (endothelial cell dysfunction, inflammation, smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis, plaque rupture, thrombosis and vessel occlusion). Finally, we will investigate the currently used pharmacological and interventional treatments, including percutaneous coronary intervention, elective and emergency surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass procedures.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will have a broader and deeper understanding of the conditions affecting your patients and the treatments available to them, therefore enabling you to better manage them on cardiopulmonary bypass. You will have increased knowledge of the surgical strategies used to treat your patients allowing you to work with the surgical team more confidently and effectively.
Learning Outcomes
1. Critically discuss the methods currently used for patient assessment of coronary artery disease and extracranial cerebrovascular disease.
2. Describe the pathophysiology underlying coronary artery disease.
3. Assess the main risk factors for coronary artery disease and extracranial cerebrovascular disease.
4. Evaluate current treatment strategies for coronary artery disease and extracranial cerebrovascular disease.
You will primarily learn through interactive in person lectures, where core information is delivered. These sessions will be supplemented with case-based discussions, and you will learn from patient experiences. There will be opportunities to ask questions and discuss topics in detail. MCQs encourage you to review core information from across the unit and test the breadth of your knowledge to provide a foundation for your in-depth summative essay. The formative case summary and debate presentation will help you synthesise information across the unit and help you link clinical presentation, pathobiology and appropriate treatment strategies together. These ways of learning will ensure you are well prepared to tackle your summative assessments for this and later units in the programme. You will be given formative feedback on all coursework assessments to aid learning.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will be involved in clinical case-based group discussions facilitated by perfusionists and patients, which consider patient presentations, underlying disease pathology and surgical/perfusion strategies; you will summarise your group discussion in a brief case report for which you will receive written feedback. This will prepare you for your summative case presentation in the Heart and Valve Disease unit. You will take part in a group debate facilitated by a cardiac surgeon and a cardiologist which will involve evaluating and presenting evidence for a particular clinical intervention. This will help prepare you for your summative critical review essay and hone your presentation skills for tasks in subsequent units. An exam guidance session will include discussion of typical exam questions.
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. BRMSM0073).
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.
