| CODE | MDS1005 | ||||||
| TITLE | Respiratory System | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Medicine and Surgery | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit covers the relationships between structure and function of the human chest cage and lungs. It also involves the understanding of the flow of blood and air through the lungs, the biochemistry of gas exchange and a basic understanding of the pathology and pharmacological therapeutics of common lung diseases. In addition to lectures, there will also be Critical Thinking Sessions. These are based on carefully selected clinical cases that are intended to stimulate the student to think and discuss critically the presented problems and to formulate basic scientific and clinical concepts as well as ethical, behavioural and professional principles. The study-unit will also include Seminars wherein clinicians together with experts in various disciplines will discuss common clinical conditions and supplement the clinical information presented in the Critical Thinking Sessions. The common features of these learning sessions is that they involve active participation, are student centered and conducive to independent learning as a prelude to continuing life-long education. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit provides a foundation for the clinical evaluation and management of patients with respiratory disorders. It provides students in the biomedical sciences with an integrated approach to the study of the respiratory system including the gross and microscopic anatomy, how the respiratory system functions in health and disease, and an introduction to laboratory tests of pulmonary function, imaging of the respiratory system and the relevant therapeutics. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. Correlate the structure and function of the respiratory system. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. Name the gross and microscopic features, blood supply and innervation of the respiratory tract and their clinical correlates; 2. Outline the surface projections and methods of clinical examination of the components of the respiratory system; 3. Identify on prosections, radiographs and other imaging systems the bones, ligaments and muscles of the chest, the components of the lungs and their major relations; 4. Outline the development of the respiratory tract and how this relates to common developmental anomalies; 5. Outline the mechanics of the process of respiration, using anatomical and physiological principles of muscle action, flow, pressure etc.; 6. Outline the important biochemical changes relating to blood gas solution, diffusion and interaction with the body's buffering system; 7. Outline the patterns of nervous and chemical control of the respiratory pathways and how these relate to common disorders of the respiratory system and the appropriate therapeutic agents; 8. Discuss the common pathologies of the respiratory tract in terms of disordered anatomy and physiology and the basic drugs used to treat these conditions; 9. Identify different chest sounds; 10. Indicate important anatomical sites and recognise physiological reasons for entry points in emergency puncture-treatments/investigations of the chest; 11. Interpret simple clinical cases involving the respiratory system (including tumours, serious infections, fractures, pneumothorax, pleural effusions, haemothorax and flail chest) in terms of disordered anatomy and physiology and the basic drugs used to treat these conditions. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Text for Physiology - Respiratory Physiology: The Essentials West, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins 1994. ISBN 0-683-0-8937-4. - Textbook of Medical Physiology by Guyton & Hall, 11th Edition, 2006, Saunders. ISBN: 978-0-7216-0240-0. Main Text for Biochemistry - Mark's Basic Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach by Michael Lieberman, Allan D. Marks, 3rd Edition, Walters Kluwer/ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN: 0-13:978-0-7817-7022-4. Main Texts for Anatomy - Clinical Anatomy by Regions, by Richard. S. Snell, 8th Edition 2007, Lippincott. ISBN-10: 0-7817-6404-1 ISBN-13: 978-0-7817-6404-9. - Clinical Anatomy by Systems, by Richard. S. Snell, April 2006. ISBN-10: 0-7817-9164-2. ISBN-13: 978-0-7817-9164-9. - Gray’s Dissection guide for Human Anatomy, by Morton, Peterson and Albertine, 2nd Edition, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0443069512. ISBN-10: 0443069514. Main Text for Pathology - General and Systematic Pathology, by JCE Underwood, 4th Edition, Churchill Livingstone. ISBN 0443073341. - Robbins Basic Pathology by V Kumar, A K Abbas, N Fausto, R Mitchell, 8th Edition , Saunders. ISBN 1416029737. Main Texts for Pharmacology - Clinical Pharmacology: With STUDENTCONSULT Access (Paperback), P. N. Bennett, Morris J. Brown, 10th Edition, 2007 Churchill Livingstone. ISBN-10: 0443102449. ISBN-13: 978-0443102448. - Pharmacology: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access (Paperback), Humphrey P. Rang, Maureen M. Dale, James M. Ritter BM, Rod Flower, 6th Edition, 2007 Churchill Livingstone. ISBN-10: 0443069115. ISBN-13: 978-0443069116. Supplementary Readings - Imaging Atlas of Human Anatomy by Weir, Jamie and Abrahams, Peter, 3rd Edition, 2003. ISBN-10: 0-7234-3211-2. ISBN-13: 978-0-7234-3211-1. - Wheater's functional Histology. A text and colour atlas. By Young, Lowe, Stevens, Heath and Deakin, 5th Edition, 2006. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN-13: 978-0-443-06850-8. ISBN-10: 0-443-06850-X. - Langman's Medical Embryology By T.W. Sadler, 10th Edition. ISBN-10: 0781794854. ISBN-13: 9780781794855. |
||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study, Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||
| LECTURER/S | Ernest Azzopardi Marie Therese Camilleri Podesta' Brendan Caruana Montaldo Michelle Darmanin Anthony Fenech Joseph Galea Karl Galea Nikolai Pace Neville Vassallo (Co-ord.) Gerd Xuereb |
||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||