In the modern era, cardiovascular disease contributes greatly to the burden of the healthcare system. In industrialized societies, it is the most frequent cause of adult death. It is important that students should be quite familiar with diseases affecting this system.

This course aims at offering students a general overview of the cardiovascular system in the following aspects: (1) the gross anatomy of the heart and its great vessels; (2) the physiology of the circulatory system; (3) the cardiovascular system in the diseased state: pathological changes and pathophysiological changes; (4) clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disorders; (5) history taking and physical examination of the cardiovascular system; (6) investigative methods of the cardiovascular system; (7) drugs that affect the cardiovascular system and medications that treat cardiovascular disorders; (8) overview of the following common cardiovascular disorders: Heart failure, Ischemic heart diseases, Valvular heart diseases, Hypertensive heart diseases, Congenital heart diseases, Arrhythmias, Myocardial diseases, Pericardial diseases, Endocardial diseases, Pulmonary heart diseases, Diseases of blood vessels; and (9) study of clinical cases.