Virtual Cardiology Lab Introduction and Help
Welcome to the Virtual Cardiology Lab. The focus of this lab is on heritable diseases of the heart. You are cast here as a virtual intern to accompany a doctor examining three different patients. Each patient is examined, using more than one diagnostic tool, and at each stage, the doctor will invite you to examine the patient yourself and ask for your opinion.
Making a diagnosis is, in many respects, like detective work. You gather clues using a variety of techniques and form a coherent picture, taking into account both the power and the limitations of the techniques used and building on current knowledge of diseases and their symptoms. Since we assume you are a student and not a doctor, we have provided you with information to help familiarize you with basic facts about the heart and heart diseases, medical terminology, and available diagnostic tools. This information can be found in the "Basic Cardiology Guide" and "Diagnostic Tools Guide" sections, both of which are available any time by clicking on their respective tabs above this window.
Learning Objectives
- Symptoms of a selection of heart diseases, to serve as examples of what kinds of things can go wrong
with the heart. How are symptoms detected and why?
- Tools and techniques used for diagnosis. What can the different techniques detect and how do they work?
- Principles of pedigree analysis.
Using the Virtual Lab
The lab interface is divided into two main areas: the interactive window
on the left and the lab notebook on the right, where this page is displayed.
Within the interactive window, you will be prompted by text in the white tip window. As you progress,
the lab notebook window will automatically update with detailed information
about the current step. If a question
is asked, it will be displayed here.
Icons below the tip window indicate the current section (highlighted in white) and completed sections (in light blue).
To restart a section, click on any of these icons.
At any time during the lab, you can click the tabs above. The Patient tab will give you general information about your patient (A, B, or C) as well as the results
from each examination as you complete each section.
The Quiz tab provides you with a summary of your quiz results. The Cardiology Guide tab
includes background information, a glossary of terms, and an encyclopedia of terms. The Diagnostic Tools Guide tab
includes information on the tools used in this lab. Clicking the Notebook tab
will take you back to the current section information.
Recommended Web Browsers
The following Web browsers are recommended for using this virtual lab. Click the links below to download the latest versions.
Please make sure that JavaScript is enabled and your pop-up blocker is disabled in your browser.
Installing the Shockwave Plug-in
- Visit the Adobe Web site and follow the
installation instructions to download and install the Shockwave plug-in.
- Once you have installed the plug-in, click the image of the lab to start.
If you see the Shockwave progress bar followed by a view of an office with two books on a desk,
you have successfully installed the Shockwave plug-in.
Using Shockwave on an Intel-based Mac
If you are using an Intel Mac, you'll need to follow these instructions to use the Virtual Labs in Rosetta emulation mode. If you're not sure what type of Mac you have, select "About This Mac" under the Apple menu
- Quit your browser.
- Open your Applications folder and click once on your browser's icon. Press command-i to open the Get Info dialog box. Check the box "Open using Rosetta." Close the Info dialog box.
- Restart the Virtual Lab.
Technical Support
For technical support, please complete this form.
Credits
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