| Unit name | Cardiovascular Disease (CVP_DL) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0064 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| 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?
The majority of the adult patients you manage on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) will have cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is crucial that you should have a good understanding of their clinical problem, available treatment options and how their disease impacts you as a perfusionist. This unit provides an overview of current methods of patient diagnosis and assessment of disease severity (from GP to clinic). It provides a detailed overview of the underlying pathobiologies of cardiovascular disease, with an emphasis on atherosclerosis disease mechanisms and coronary artery disease. Its epidemiology, and impact of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors on cardiovascular disease are outlined. Drug and interventional treatments, including surgical strategies requiring CPB will be discussed.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit is delivered in the first teaching block of your first year of study. It follows Foundations in Perfusion Science, which includes normal heart and vasculature physiology, and considers these organ systems in the context of cardiovascular disease. This unit introduces CPB as an important component of the surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease, including CABG, and it is followed by Adult Cardiopulmonary Bypass Principles and Practice, which focuses in on detailed aspects of perfusion theory and practice.
An overview of content
This unit will introduce the clinical problem of cardiovascular disease. It will provide an overview of the methods currently utilised for patient diagnosis and assessment of disease severity (from GP to clinic), including ECG, angiogram, imaging (IVUS, PET) and biomarkers. The unit will provide a detailed overview of the underlying pathobiologies including atherosclerosis (endothelial cell dysfunction, inflammation, smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis, plaque rupture, thrombosis and vessel occlusion). Furthermore, it will discuss the impact of genomics on cardiovascular disease, common risk factors (including hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, smoking), and its epidemiology. Finally, this unit will outline the currently used pharmacological and interventional treatments for cardiovascular disease, including elective and emergency surgery involving CPB.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will have a broader and deeper understanding of the conditions of your patients therefore enabling you to better manage them on CPB. 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
On-line synchronous sessions will provide support through the unit including for coursework tasks. 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):
Group case-based discussion and presentation on a unit-related clinical case.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Coursework (contributing 60% to the unit mark) consisting of:
The overall pass-mark for the unit is 50%.
When assessment does not go to plan
If the overall pass mark for the unit (50%) is not achieved, students will be expected to resit the failed unit assessment. The resit assessment may not be in the same form as the original assessment but will test the same learning outcomes. The resit unit mark will be capped at 50%.
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. BRMSM0064).
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.
