The Use of e-Learning for Healthcare Professionals: an Interactive in Silico Simulator

Introduction: Although there is an established tradition in cardiovascu-lar simulation, its value and application in an e-Learning environment remains not completely appreciated. The aim of this chapter is to show the potential of such an environment when used to teach healthcare professionals the interaction between the cardiovascular and respiratory system with particular reference to an intensive care setting. An "in silico" cardiovascular simulator was introduced during a post-graduate training course for Cardiology trainees from 'Sapienza' Uni-versity in Rome. Methods: CARDIOSIM© was the numerical simulator of the cardio-vascular system used throughout the course. A numerical model of a thoracic artificial lung (TAL) was also developed to study the interac-tions between the respiratory and the cardiovascular system. Disease settings were considered where the TAL model was applied either in parallel or hybrid configuration. Results: The results observed during the simulations showed that TAL assistance in parallel mode reduced right ventricular end systolic (dia-stolic) volume, but increased left ventricular end systolic (diastolic) volume. The percentage changes observed with TAL assistance in a hy-brid mode on haemodynamic parameters were lower than those with assistance in parallel configuration. Conclusions: Students were given a short questionnaire at the end of the course to assess the quality of teaching. The feedback was positive, particularly in relation to the learning experience and the ease of use of the software simulator.