This program is a simulation of the human cardiopulmonary system, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, and circulatory system. The program lets you measure many clinically interesting variables, and change these variables to see what effects they have. In addition, SymBioSys includes two ways of affecting the system which are analogous to instruments used in medicine, a ventilator tool and an infusion device. The ventilater simulates a volume-cycled mechanical ventilator, and lets you change such things as ventilation rate and tidal volume. The infusion device lets you add a variety of substances to the blood, including acid and base, and drugs such as norepinephrine and furosemide. You can also use this tool to cause hemorrhaging. You can examine any of the variables in the model using either variable / time or phase plane graphs, or get exact values in table form. Most important functions in the program are easily accesible from a toolbar, and the program follows all Windows conventions in its interface. The manual includes some suggested activities for the program, including a lab on systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics, another one on cardiac function, and a third on cardiac output and venous return.

I do not have the expertise to judge this program on technical grounds, but I assume from their literature that the model behind the simulation is quite good and realistic (although they do not actually describe the underlying model anywhere). The interface takes a few minutes to get used to, but is quite powerful and straightforward to use. It is reasonably easy to set up attractive looking graphs, and to add or change variables in the ventilator and infuser. The interface is particularly good given the number of variables and parameters which you can access. Finding any of these should not take more than a few seconds. I would guess that this program is too complicated for beginning undergraduate classes, but the program should be very good for use in advanced physiology and beginning medical classes, the market to which its geared.

Computer: Windows

Source: Critical Concepts

Cost: High

Last update 22nd of January 1996