Cardiology Course

Lesson 1 • Gross Anatomy of the Heart

Covers chambers, valves, great vessels, and pericardium. Establishes spatial orientation essential for interpreting imaging and procedural guidance.

Lesson 2 • Cellular Electrophysiology

Describes action potentials, ion channels, and automaticity in cardiac cells. Prepares students to understand arrhythmia mechanisms and antiarrhythmic drug targets.

Lesson 3 • Cardiac Conduction System

Details the sinoatrial node, AV node, bundle branches, and Purkinje fibers. Links electrical anatomy to rhythm interpretation covered in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Cardiac Cycle and Hemodynamics

Explains systole, diastole, pressure-volume relationships, and cardiac output determinants. Grounds students in the physiology behind clinical measurements.

Lesson 1 • Integrating Findings into a Clinical Assessment

Synthesizes history and exam data into a prioritized differential diagnosis. Builds the clinical reasoning framework applied throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Structured Cardiovascular History Taking

Teaches symptom characterization for chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, and syncope. Systematic history reduces diagnostic error and guides differential formation.

Lesson 3 • Vital Signs and Peripheral Examination

Covers blood pressure measurement, pulse assessment, and peripheral perfusion signs. These findings contextualize cardiac auscultation and imaging results.

Lesson 1 • Arrhythmia Recognition and Classification

Covers supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, conduction blocks, and pacemaker rhythms. Rhythm identification is prerequisite to antiarrhythmic therapy decisions.

Lesson 2 • ECG Fundamentals and Lead System

Explains lead placement, axis determination, and normal waveform morphology. Correct lead understanding prevents misinterpretation of normal variants as pathology.

Lesson 3 • Ischemia, Injury, and Infarction Patterns

Identifies ST changes, T-wave inversions, and Q waves by territory. Localizing ischemic changes guides urgent management decisions.

Lesson 4 • Systematic ECG Reporting

Applies a stepwise reporting framework to produce complete, accurate ECG interpretations. Structured reporting reduces omission errors in clinical and exam settings.

Lesson 1 • Ventricular Function Assessment

Quantifies ejection fraction, wall motion, diastolic function, and right ventricular performance. Function parameters guide heart failure classification and treatment.

Lesson 2 • Cardiac MRI Applications

Describes tissue characterization, viability assessment, and cardiomyopathy evaluation by MRI. MRI offers unique myocardial tissue data unavailable from other modalities.

Lesson 3 • Echocardiography Principles and Views

Covers transthoracic and transesophageal echo physics, standard views, and key measurements. Echo is the primary imaging tool for structural and functional assessment.

Lesson 4 • Nuclear Cardiology and Stress Imaging

Covers myocardial perfusion imaging, stress protocols, and PET viability studies. Nuclear imaging quantifies perfusion defects and guides revascularization decisions.

Lesson 1 • Stable Coronary Artery Disease Management

Covers risk stratification, anti-anginal therapy, and revascularization decision-making. Optimal medical therapy is the cornerstone before considering invasive procedures.

Lesson 2 • NSTEMI and Unstable Angina

Addresses diagnosis, risk scoring, antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy, and timing of angiography. Early invasive strategy improves outcomes in high-risk NSTEMI.

Lesson 3 • Atherosclerosis and Plaque Pathophysiology

Explains lipid accumulation, plaque formation, vulnerability, and rupture mechanisms. Understanding plaque biology informs both prevention and acute management strategies.

Lesson 4 • Complications of Acute Myocardial Infarction

Identifies mechanical, electrical, and hemodynamic complications and their management. Recognizing complications early prevents avoidable in-hospital mortality.

Lesson 1 • Device Therapy in Heart Failure

Covers ICD, CRT, and mechanical circulatory support indications and programming basics. Device therapy reduces sudden death and improves symptoms in selected patients.

Lesson 2 • Heart Failure Classification and Pathophysiology

Distinguishes HFrEF, HFmrEF, and HFpEF and explains neurohormonal activation. Classification determines which evidence-based therapies apply to each patient.

Lesson 3 • Diagnostic Workup for Heart Failure

Covers biomarkers, imaging, and hemodynamic assessment for heart failure diagnosis. Accurate diagnosis prevents both under-treatment and inappropriate therapy.

Lesson 4 • Pharmacological Therapy for HFrEF

Details ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, MRAs, SGLT2 inhibitors, and sacubitril-valsartan. Combination of these agents provides additive mortality benefit in HFrEF.

Lesson 1 • Infective Endocarditis and Valve Prophylaxis

Diagnoses endocarditis using modified Duke criteria and guides antibiotic and surgical therapy. Prophylaxis recommendations apply to high-risk patients undergoing specific procedures.

Lesson 2 • Aortic Stenosis Assessment and Management

Grades severity by echocardiography and determines surgical versus transcatheter intervention timing. Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis carries high mortality without intervention.

Lesson 3 • Aortic Regurgitation Evaluation

Assesses regurgitant severity, ventricular remodeling, and surgical timing thresholds. Serial imaging tracks the transition from compensated to decompensated regurgitation.

Lesson 4 • Right-Sided Valve Disease

Addresses tricuspid and pulmonary valve pathology, causes, and intervention thresholds. Right-sided disease is often underdiagnosed and worsens overall cardiac prognosis.

Lesson 1 • Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter

Covers classification, rate versus rhythm control, anticoagulation, and cardioversion. Atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent arrhythmia requiring long-term management.

Lesson 2 • Supraventricular Tachycardias

Distinguishes AVNRT, AVRT, and atrial tachycardia and guides acute and long-term therapy. Accurate SVT diagnosis prevents unnecessary antiarrhythmic drug exposure.

Lesson 3 • Catheter Ablation Principles and Outcomes

Explains electrophysiology study, mapping techniques, ablation energy sources, and success rates. Ablation offers curative potential for many arrhythmias refractory to drugs.

Lesson 4 • Bradyarrhythmias and Pacing Indications

Identifies sinus node dysfunction, AV block grades, and permanent pacemaker indications. Timely pacing prevents syncope, falls, and hemodynamic compromise.