Anatomy & Physiology: Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems

The cardiovascular and respiratory systems work together to deliver oxygen to tissues and remove carbon dioxide, pairing the pumping action of the heart with the mechanics of breathing. This course opens with thoracic anatomy, including the thoracic skeleton, diaphragm, mediastinum, pericardium, and the anatomy of the heart, then moves into cardiac, vascular, and respiratory physiology. The cardiac section covers electrical activity from pacemaker potentials through basic ECG principles, including waveforms, intervals, and selected condition abnormalities. Students will understand the cardiac cycle and the determinants of cardiac output, including preload, afterload, contractility, and the Frank-Starling relationship. Vascular physiology covers hemodynamics and arterial pressure regulation through the baroreflex, RAAS, and ADH, plus the cardiovascular response to exercise. The respiratory half of the course discusses lung mechanics, compliance, and the work of breathing, then oxygen and carbon dioxide transport, the causes of hypoxemia, and chemoreceptor control of breathing, including the physiology of altitude and diving.