The Heart of Our Cardiovascular System
The Jarvik-7 artificial heart in 2007.Copyright 2007 NIH Photographic Archives via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JARVIK_7_artificial_heart.jpg
Students learn about the heart and its role at the center of the human cardiovascular system. In the associated activity, students play out a scenario in which they are biomedical engineers asked to design artificial hearts. They learn about the path of blood flow through the heart and use that knowledge to evaluate designs of artificial hearts on the market.
The design of a fully-functional artificial heart was a major engineering accomplishment, one that is still being modified and improved. Biomedical, mechanical and electrical engineers work together, following the steps of the engineering design process, to engage in a structured thought process to find better and better solutions to the challenge of replicating the amazing and intricate functionality of the human heart.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Trace the path of blood through the human heart.
- Describe the general size, location and function of the heart, and compare that to artificial heart models.
- Discuss their opinions of how the invention of the artificial heart impacts society.
- Describe the engineering design process and give an example of each step.