Modeling Cardiovascular Pathophysiology for Educational Simulations

In several areas of acute care medicine, such as anesthesia, intensive care, and emergency medicine, simulator based training has been shown to reduce human error and improve patient outcomes. Full-body model-driven patient simulators provide the technology that can be used in immersive medical training, in a controlled environment, without risks to real patients. The work presented in this book fits within the general framework of model-driven simulator design. Its ultimate goals are to contribute to medical training and patient safety. The specific purpose of this study is to provide a consistent set of mathematical models for educational simulation of cardiovascular pathophysiology. The same uncontrolled cardiovascular model is used as a basis for deriving models for different patients (fetus, neonate, and infant), different pathologies (aortic stenosis and several other congenital heart defects), an incident (blood loss), and a natural transition (birth). The presented models may serve as simulation engines for screen-based or full-body simulators.