Pulmonary System

Catalog description

Pulmonary System provides a fundamental understanding of pulmonary basic science principles, and the application of this knowledge to pulmonary diseases. The five-week course covers normal features and pathological processes of the pulmonary system including embryology, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and immunology, and relating these to pathologies of the pulmonary system. The course starts with detailed and complete explanations of the physiological mechanisms that underlie the act of breathing, followed by exploration of the developmental anatomy of the lung, the gross anatomy of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Clinical problems and pulmonary function test data is examined at the molecular level, the level of the alveolus, the chest wall, and the pulmonary circulation. The course covers pathophysiological changes in lung function and the spectrum of lung disorders commonly seen in the human population. Ventilation-perfusion inequality and gas exchange defects are presented in team based learning exercises. The neurological basis of ventilatory control is investigated, and the role of central and peripheral chemoreceptors in ventilatory drive are uncovered, including a detailed overview of the biochemistry of hydrogen buffering and the mixed physiological buffering mechanisms of the blood. The clinical conditions of sleep apnea and related disorders, obstructive lung disease, restrictive lung disease, neoplastic lung disease, immune mediated hemorrhage syndromes, bacterial and viral bronchitis, fungal and mycoplasma atypical pneumonia, atelectasis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pleural disease, acute lung injury and failing heart/pulmonary vascular disease are covered. Clinical cases are presented in a team-based learning format to provide reinforcement of basic science concepts as they relate to clinical applications.