Lab Exam Day, 40-Point Cardiovascular Performance Assignment & Study Strategy

Logistics & Scheduling

• Grade Return

  • Written lecture-test grades will be handed back after you complete the lab exam on Thursday.
  • You will review them briefly, then hand them back so the instructor can file them.

• Lab-Exam Day (Thursday)

  • Meet in the hallway at 09:00 sharp; instructor will escort you into the testing room (across the hall).
  • Estimated max testing time: ~1 hr (longest case).
  • Upon finishing you may cool down / de-stress in the main classroom (scream, push-ups, etc.).

• Grade-book Anomaly

  • “Practice quiz” items are visible in D2L gradebook but NOT calculated in the current grade.
  • Instructor is confirming with Stacy (support staff) but cannot remove the column; simply ignore those cells.

Post-Exam Laboratory Activity (Cardiovascular-Performance / Blood-Pressure Lab)

• Occurs immediately after everyone finishes the lab exam (≈ 10:00).
• Refer to lab manual pp. 15 – 18 (sometimes labelled “blood-pressure assignment” or “cardiovascular-performance assignment”).
• Worth 40 pts (≈ ½ of a lecture test) – best opportunity to raise course grade.

Volunteer Test Subjects (4)

• Students: Jordan, Evan, Jack, Irene (names recorded on board).
• Clothing advice for subjects:
  • Short sleeves / T-shirt under outer layer.
  • Athletic shoes for stair sprints.

Roles & Etiquette

• Rest of class must collect data, pamper volunteers (dry towels, arm-drying, quick cuff inflation, moral support).
• Volunteers still complete the written assignment (classmates supply data).

Equipment Needs

• Auto-inflate BP cuffs (primary).
• Manual cuffs + stethoscopes available; experienced students (Nina + 2 others) may validate readings.
• Ice-water bath (sink scrubbed and filled with ice).

Four Physiological Conditions (performed in listed order)

1. Resting Baseline
   • Subject seated (or supine) → measure HR and BP.
2. Cold Pressor Test
   • Both forearms submerged in ice water for 2 min (cuff inflated ≈ 90 s mark so reading occurs exactly at 2 min).
3. Un-warmed Max-Effort Exercise (2 min)
   • No warm-up; options: sprint outside, stairwell sprints (double flight to H-Building).
   • Goal: reach exhaustion / high lactate.
   • Immediately inflate cuff ASAP at 2-min mark before HR falls.
4. 10-min Brisk Walk / Jog
   • Entire group may accompany; obtain HR & BP at the 10-min point.

Underlying Concepts (tie-in to lecture)

• \text{BP} = \text{CO} \times \text{TPR} where
  • \text{CO} = cardiac output
  • \text{TPR} = total peripheral resistance.
• Predictions you should recall:
  • ↑CO with constant vessel diameter → ↑BP.
  • Widespread vasoconstriction with stable CO → ↑BP.
  • Widespread vasodilation with stable CO → ↓BP.
• Page 18 questions + three required graphs focus on these cause-and-effect relationships.

Study Priorities for Today

• Emphasis: cats & deer hearts (models sitting on ice).
• Instructor available for anatomy walk-throughs; vessel maps & EKG printouts located at front desk.

Specimen Guide (Cats)

• 2 cats: poor vessels but excellent digestive organs (good for pancreas, gall-bladder demo).
• 3 cats: artery cats – one premier specimen holds the pinned arterial exam stations (take pictures of this one first).
• 3 cats: vein cats – symmetrical venous branching; all serviceable.
• One cat is a pregnant female
  • Uterus extends toward kidneys with 3 fetuses on right horn, 2 on left (feel bulges carefully).

Vessel-Diagram Reminder

• Cat aortic arch = 2 branches
  1. Brachiocephalic artery.
  2. Left subclavian artery.
• Human aortic arch = 3 branches
  1. Brachiocephalic trunk → right subclavian + right common carotid.
  2. Left common carotid (unique attachment; NOT present in cat arch).
  3. Left subclavian.

Upcoming Lab Exam Breakdown (posted in D2L announcement)

Other details:

• Questions worth 2 pts each (vs 1.5 pts on histology quiz).
• Gloves allowed during exam for hearts & cats.

Resource Reminders & Troubleshooting

• All major lab topics have corresponding instructor-made videos (histology, WBCs, blood typing, cat vessels, deer heart, etc.).
• Issue: Some can neither resubmit nor view answers on embedded Kaltura quizlets; Stacy & instructor investigating—provide screen captures if you get locked out.
• Next lecture exam scheduled July 22; new videos already unlocked—July will be “intense.”

Peer Discussion Highlights (Post-Test Reflections)

• Common struggles from today’s lecture test
  • Order of blood flow through vessels (arteries → arterioles → capillaries → venules → veins).
  • Remembering terms for venous return mechanisms (valves, skeletal-muscle pump, respiratory pump).
  • Correctly labeling EKG waves (P-wave = atrial depolarization / systole).
• Students sharing study techniques:
  • Drawing repeated heart-flow diagrams.
  • Using Notability “tape-over” feature to hide labels for self-quizzing.

Practical Tips

• Bring/label blue for veins, red for arteries on cat vessel maps.
• Take photos or short videos of deer hearts and cat specimens for off-site review.
• Volunteers: remember athletic shoes & short sleeves Thursday; rest of class bring towels, pens, and empathetic attitudes.