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Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Cardiac Pressure-Volume Loop Analysis Using Conductance Catheters in Mice
Published on: September 17, 2015
Use of an iPad App to simulate pressure-volume loops and cardiovascular physiology
Staci Leisman1, Daniel Burkhoff2
1Department of Medicine and Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; and staci.leisman@mssm.edu.
Abstract:
The purpose of this laboratory exercise is to model the changes in preload, afterload, and contractility on a simulated pressure-volume loop and to correlate those findings with common measurements of clinical cardiovascular physiology. Once students have modeled these changes on a healthy heart, the students are asked to look at a simulated case of cardiogenic shock. Effects on preload, contractility, and afterload are explored, as well as the hemodynamic effects of a number of student-suggested treatment strategies.
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