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Lecture

Cardiac Mechanics: Structure and Function

Description

This lecture covers the anatomy of the heart, including its size, position, chambers, and valves. It also delves into the cardiac circulation, electrical activity, and muscle biomechanics, explaining concepts like sarcomere length, force-length relation, and force-velocity relation.

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Instructor

Nikolaos Stergiopoulos

Education MTE, Managing the Technology Enterprise Program (2000), IMD, Lausanne Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering & Engineering Mechanics (1990) Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. MS in Biomedical Engineering (1987) Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (1985) National Technical University of Athens. Professional Activities 2002 - present: Professor and director of LHTC 2010 - present: Founder and director of Rheon Medical SA, Préverenges, Switzerland 2008 - present: Founder and director of Antlia S.A., PSE-C, EPFL campus, Switzerland 1998 - 2007: Founder and Scientific Director of EndoArt S.A., Lausanne, Switzerland 1996 - 2002: Assistant professor at the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland. 1991 - 1996: Research Associate at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - Lausanne 1990 - 1991: Lecturer, Iowa State University

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Health sciences

Cardiology: Cardiovascular disease

Related concepts (32)

Heart

The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to the lungs. In humans, the heart is approximately the size of a closed fist and is located between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest, called the mediastinum. In humans, other mammals, and birds, the heart is divided into four chambers: upper left and right atria and lower left and right ventricles.

Cardiac cycle

The cardiac cycle is the performance of the human heart from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. It consists of two periods: one during which the heart muscle relaxes and refills with blood, called diastole, following a period of robust contraction and pumping of blood, called systole. After emptying, the heart relaxes and expands to receive another influx of blood returning from the lungs and other systems of the body, before again contracting to pump blood to the lungs and those systems.

Coronary circulation

Coronary circulation is the circulation of blood in the arteries and veins that supply the heart muscle (myocardium). Coronary arteries supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. Cardiac veins then drain away the blood after it has been deoxygenated. Because the rest of the body, and most especially the brain, needs a steady supply of oxygenated blood that is free of all but the slightest interruptions, the heart is required to function continuously.

Cardiac output

In cardiac physiology, cardiac output (CO), also known as heart output and often denoted by the symbols , , or , is the volumetric flow rate of the heart's pumping output: that is, the volume of blood being pumped by a single ventricle of the heart, per unit time (usually measured per minute). Cardiac output (CO) is the product of the heart rate (HR), i.e. the number of heartbeats per minute (bpm), and the stroke volume (SV), which is the volume of blood pumped from the left ventricle per beat; thus giving the formula: Values for cardiac output are usually denoted as L/min.

Cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating. It is defined as cessation of normal circulation of blood due to failure of the heart to pump effectively. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in cardiac death within minutes. When it happens suddenly, it is called sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possibly defibrillation are needed until further treatment can be provided. Cardiac arrest results in a rapid loss of consciousness, and breathing may be abnormal or absent.

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