Advances in Physiology Education, Vol 267, Issue 6 17-S36, Copyright © 1994 by American Physiological Society
An educational tool for understanding the cardiopulmonary changes associated with aging
M. P. Chandler and S. E. DiCarlo
Department of Physiology, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown 44272.
Normal aging is associated with cardiac, vascular, and pulmonary
adaptations that significantly affect the individual's ability to maintain
homeostasis. To understand the changes associated with aging, we developed
a laboratory exercise that compares and contrasts the cardiopulmonary
responses to exercise in a young and an older individual. We also developed
this interactive tool because it is our experience that learning is better
facilitated when students are encouraged, and required, to become an active
and integral part of the educational process. This exercise provides a
unique opportunity to analyze, integrate, and interpret the changes
associated with aging because more is learned about how a system operates
when it is forced to perform than when it is idle. In this laboratory
exercise, basic anatomical and physiological data about aging are provided.
Subsequently, figures are presented that illustrate the responses of
specific cardiopulmonary variables during exercise (e.g., heart rate,
cardiac output, blood pressure), and the students are challenged to analyze
and assimilate information from the figures, answer questions, make
calculations, and plot graphs. The laboratory does not require equipment or
software, only rules and pencils. Questions, and answers to them, are
provided in the appendix. The emphasis is on the application of basic
science principles, interpretation of pictorial or tabular material, and
problem solving skills. In addition, an evaluation instrument was developed
to assess the effectiveness of this instructional tool in an academic
setting. Specifically, the evaluation instrument addressed four major
components, including aims and objectives, content of materials, components
and organization, and summary and recommendations.
