Anyone Who Had a Heart

A Case Study in Physiology

By Philip J. Stephens

Abstract

After undergoing a fertility procedure, a 37-year-old woman and her husband are expecting twins. The delivery goes smoothly, but it soon becomes apparent that, while the baby boy appears normal, the baby girl has a heart problem and is cyanotic. In this interrupted case study, students diagnose the problem based on the babies’ signs and symptoms as well as on their knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the heart and the changes that occur in the heart after birth. The case was developed for use in a one-semester animal physiology course taken by sophomore and junior science majors. It could also be used in a freshman general biology course or in an anatomy and physiology course.

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Date Posted

12/04/2004

Overview

Objectives

To understand the function and structure of the heart before and after birth.
To appreciate the changes which take place in the heart and in blood circulation after birth.
To understand heart valve function, heart sounds, and murmurs.

Keywords

Cardiovascular system; circulatory system; blood circulation; fetal heart; cyanosis; ventricular septal defect; valve function; heart murmur

Subject Headings

Anatomy

Biology (General)

Medicine (General)

Physiology

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division

FORMAT

PDF

TOPICAL AREAS

N/A

LANGUAGE

English

TYPE/METHODS

Interrupted