The Heart and Blood Vessels

The cardiovascular system is a fascinating organ system whose task is to supply all the body’s organs with oxygen and nutrients, as well as carrying away waste products.


Approximately five litres of blood per minute is pumped around the body when it is at rest. During physical activity, stress, or threat, the amount can increase substantially.
 
Cardiovascular diseases cause 17 million deaths a year around the world. In Sweden it accounts for nearly half of all deaths. Smoking, obesity, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, bad eating habits, high blood pressure, stress, and unfavourable genetic factors are the most usual risks for being afflicted.
 
The panorama of illnesses that strike the cardiovascular system can be:
 arteriosclerosis, which further causes clot formation and obstruction of blood flow, which can lead to myocardial infarction or limb gangrene (local cell or tissue death)
 
 arterial aneurysms can rupture and lead to bleeding to death
 the pumping function of the heart can deteriorate, leading to development of cardiac failure
• the conducting system of the heart can be defective, leading to dysrhythmia.
 
Other major cardiac diseases are congenital defects, acquired valvular disorders and inflammation of the cardiac muscle.
Thanks to intensive research on several fronts, the chance of surviving cardiovascular disease has increased drastically over the last 20 years.

Internal medicine

Research into internal medicine includes projects related to diseases of the heart and vessels, but also metabolism, the liver, and the kidneys. The principal scientific methods are molecular biology, cell lines, genetics, epidemiology, and prospective studies of both healthy and ill persons.

Cardiology

Cardiology deals with diseases of the heart and blood vessels. At LiU, research is directed towards ischaemic disorders (caused by disruptions in blood circulation), heart failure (reduced pumping function) and arrhythmia (various forms of dysrhythmia). Many of the national quality registers based on patients with coronary disease and heart failure are managed from Linköping, and many ongoing research projects get their data from this register.

Cardiovascular physiology

The mechanical properties of blood vessels have great significance for heart function and the development of cardiovascular diseases. The processes in the vessel walls are largely unknown. Research in the field is managed in collaboration with the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV) and the technical divisions of Medical Technology and Applied Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics.

Clinical physiology

Clinical physiology is a link between preclinical basic research and its clinical counterparts within various specialities. The field also binds technical and medical science together through developing and evaluating new tools for research and diagnostics. Research at LiU focuses on functions and diagnosis in cardiovascular disease.

Thoracic surgery

Thoracic surgery at LiU focuses on cardiac metabolism in connection with surgical procedures, as well as mechanical heart devises as support in serious heart failure.

 

Research

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