Virtual Physiology
The Program: SimHeart
Sim Heart is an interactive CD-ROM focusing on the mechanismsof the isolated cardiac muscleand the effects of cardioactive drugs. All experiments are conducted on the so-called Langendorff heart.
It includes 3 sections:
1) Preparation: 3 video sequences showing the preparation of the heart of a rat.
2) Chemival Lab: preparation of the experimental solutions from among a range of chemical and pharmacological substances (acetylcholine, atropine, epinephrine (Adr), phentolamine, propanolol, verapamil, and strophanthin)
3) Practical Course: numerous experiments performed
by the student in the virtual laboratory featuring a Langendorff apparatus,
a thermostat, an amplifier, and a perfusor.
In addition SimHeart includes a high-performance analysis module to save, comment, and print experimental results, and comes with a 31-page use manual.
SimHeart is an effective introduction to
real laboratory work and an alternative to the classic Langendorff
experiments.
Some featured experiments:
- Inotropic and chronotropic Adr effects
- Functional antagonism between Adr and ACh
- Atropine as a competitive inhibitor for ACh
- Alpha and Beta blocker
- Calcium-channel blocker (verapamil)
- Cardiac glycosides (G-strophathin)