Demonstration of Systolic and Diastolic Phases of the Cardiac Cycle in a Plastinated Human Heart

Division of Anatomical Sciences, Office of Medical Education The University of Michigan Ann Arbor USA ABSTRACT: Plastination has enhanced the way students study human gross anatomy by providing them with three-dimensional specimens that they can hold and manipulate. These specimens allow students to learn gross anatomy, especially difficult areas, more efficiently. However, the intricacies of organ function in life are is still difficult to understand from dissected specimens. At the University of Michigan Medical School, innovative approaches to enhance the quality of plastinated specimens have been implemented to demonstrate complex anatomical features. The heart is a particularly difficult organ for students to,visualise because of the unique changes it undergoes during systolic and diastolic phases of the cardiac cycle. The aim was to develop a plastinated heart model that demonstrates how cardiac valves function during the systolic and diastolic phases. Five hearts were collected from cadavers, dissected and plastinated. Various incisions in the heart were made to reveal the cardiac valves. Corks, sutures, and hinges were used to position and to hold the valves in place either in its contracted state (systole) (2 out of 5 hearts) or in its relaxed state (diastole) (3 out of 5 hearts). A pilot survey was administered to get students’ feedback on these plastinated models. The results indicate that a majority of students favor this novel animated model as it displays both systolic and diastolic phases while keeping superficial structures of the heart intact.