CircAdapt: A user-friendly learning environment for (patho) physiology of heart and circulation

To understand physiology as well as pathophysiology of cardiac function, a learning environment is required in which the student can interactively induce pathophysiological alterations. Such learning environment has been created on the basis of the CircAdapt framework, which is a computer model simulating cardiovascular mechanics and hemodynamics. Physiological input parameters can be interactively manipulated while continuously running the model and displaying hemodynamic signals, so that the consequences of interventions for left ventricular (LV) pressure, aortic pressure, and LV volume can be evaluated. In the first-year medical curriculum, a prototype version of the software was used to teach cardiac (patho)physiology of exercise and shock. After evaluation of both software and training, the application software was further developed. The new application will be deployed in the second-year medical curriculum to improve understanding of pathophysiology of the valves of the left ventricle. By consistent use of the same learning environment throughout the curriculum, students will not only enlarge their knowledge of the cardiovascular system but also get acquainted with interactive computer simulations.