Alternatives Database

Cardiovascular Laboratory

This interactive program on laser videodisc simulates a series of cardiovascular physiology experiments normally conducted by health science students. The experiments emphasise traditional physiology laboratory exercises, including: catheterisation of the left and right heart, autonomic control of the circulation, fibrillation and defibrillation, normal and abnormal cardiac cycle, positive pressure ventilation, a water manometer experiment, and euthanasia. A split screen shows actual polygraph recordings of blood pressures, ECG, blood flow, respiration, and heart rate in real time as a window insert simultaneously illustrates the experimental procedures or results associated with the recording, such as advancing a catheter, stimulating a nerve, or the fibrillating heart. An autonomic tutorial is also included. Each procedure is demonstrated on a dog that is anaethetised, intubated and prepared for recording of ECG, respiratory patterns, arterial and venous blood pressure, carotid artery flow and heart rate.

Medium: Laser videodisc; 3.5" disk (executable programs for IBM compatibles). Currently the author is developing a digital version of the program, which will include all the still images from the laser videodisc, and also a digital animation of the cardiac cycle and MPEG1 and MPEG2 digital versions of the motion video
System requirements: For single monitor with video overlay - IBM InfoWindows, IBM MMotion, Sony View, Visage, VideoLogic, FULD, Video Associates, Compuvid SchoolBoard (305-885-9155), and Matrox VGO-AT systems; for dual monitor - any computer monitor with a Pioneer LD-V6000, LD-V4200, or LD-V8000 laser videodisc player, a special version to run with Sony players; European Version - a special version of the programs to run on the Sony dual NTSC/PAL laser videodisc players; Dummy Videodisc - permits evaluation of the program logic and will run on any MS DOS computer, simulating actions of the laser videodisc player (downloadable from ftp://ftp.vetmed.auburn.edu/pub/branch - in the CVLab folder, CVL_E is the most recent version and CVLab.doc is a text description of the laser videodisc program)
Price: US$500.00 (one copy of laser videodisc and documentation; additional copies for use at the same site - US$200.00 each); US$50.00 (European version of programs for Sony Players); executable programs for IBM compatibles and authoring system - no charge