Cardiovascular System: Heart – Physiology (Nursing)

Nurses are often the first health professionals to notice important changes in patients (e.g., cardiac arrhythmias or changes in blood pressure, perfusion, or urine production). Often, nurses are also the ones that implement cardiac rescue and resuscitation efforts in cardiac arrests or give medications to patients with dangerous arrhythmias. Thus, you can see why it’s so important to have a solid understanding of the cardiovascular system.

In this course, you’ll learn about the basic anatomy and physiology of the heart, what makes it beat, and what a normal cardiac cycle looks like. You’ll also learn about different cardiac parameters, such as stroke volume and cardiac output.

We’ll discuss the basics of an electrocardiogram, heart sounds, and the electrical conduction system of the heart. You will learn about certain disorders that negatively affect the cardiovascular system and how these conditions are treated.