PARA2000 Pathophysiology 1

Benjamin Sherwell

2017

4.5

1 x 2-hour lecture weekly
1 x 2-hour tutorial weekly

1 1 of HLTH1004, HLTH1210, MMED1005
2 PARA1008 - Integrated Clinical Physiology for Paramedics
3 22.5 units of level one PARA topics
Must Satisfy: (1 and 2 and 3)

HLTH2202 has been successfully completed

Highly recommended (but not mandatory) concurrent enrolment in PARA2001 and PARA2002

Quizzes, Final Examination (60%), Class participation

A basic understanding of how the cardiovascular system works, how it is assessed, how it fails, and emergency medical treatment options, is fundamental knowledge for paramedics. This course will focus on the anatomy, physiology, electrophysiology, pathophysiology and treatment of cardiac emergencies. There is a large emphasis on reading ECGs, both rhythm interpretation and infarct recognition. Cardiovascular pharmacology will also be covered.

This topic will explore cardiovascular emergencies through a discussion of the cause, pathophysiology, presentation and treatment of the major disorders. The topic is divided into the following modules:

Cardiovascular Anatomy;
Electrophysiology
ECG Analysis
Dysrhythmias
Acute Coronary Syndrome
Myocardial Infarction Recognition on 12 Lead ECGS
Imposters of Myocardial Infarction Recognition on 12 Lead ECGS
The systemic inflammatory aspects of shock
Vascular, Renal and Blood Pathophysiology
Cardiovascular Pharmacology.

At the completion of this topic, it is intended that the participants will be able to:

Describe the gross anatomy of the cardiovascular system
Describe the electrophysiological processes that lead to myocardial depolarization and contraction
Describe the major elements of an ECG rhythm strip and correlate these to physiological processes
Interpret normal and abnormal ECG rhythms and correlate these to pathophysiological processes and expected patient presentation
Describe the pathophysiological causes and progression of acute coronary syndrome and correlate these to patient presentation and common treatment options;
Recognize signs of acute myocardial infarction on a 12 lead ECG, and be able to anatomically locate the site of the lesion
Recognize the signs of common imposters of acute myocardial infarction on a 12 lead ECG and be able to differentiate these from a true acute coronary syndrome emergency
Explain the inflammatory aspects of the pathophysiological processes of shock and correlate this to the presentation of a patient suffering shock;
Describe renal pathophysiology which leads to cardiovascular emergencies, and discuss treatment options
Describe vascular changes, hypertension and blood disorders which lead to cardiovascular emergencies
Identify common drug groups used in the community for the management of cardiovascular disorders and deduce the possible influence these drugs will have on a patient’s emergency presentation.

Key dates and timetable

Timetable details for 2017 are no longer published.

This information is from current details held on the Student Information System. Please report any errors or omissions to the relevant College Office.