BIO 304 . WEEK 6 OF 8 . DISCUSSION

Blood pressure as a story

A real clinical scenario. Reason from the cardiovascular physiology you built this week.

Initial post due Friday. Replies due Sunday. Substantive replies build on or respectfully challenge a classmate's thinking.

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Deadlines and expectations

Three dates to put on your calendar.

Prompt opens

Wed, Jul 15

Wednesday, 12:00 AM

Initial post due

Fri, Jul 17

Friday, 11:59 PM

Replies due

Sun, Jul 19

Sunday, 11:59 PM

Your prompt

What to write about.

This week we covered blood, the heart, the conduction system, and blood vessels. Blood pressure is the integrated readout of all of them.

For your initial post, work through the following scenario. (200-300 words.)

A 68-year-old patient walks into clinic. BP today is 158/94. Heart rate 76, regular. They report feeling fine. They are on no medications. They are about 30 lbs above their ideal weight.
  1. What does each number mean? (systolic, diastolic, units, what physiologic event each captures)
  2. Which compartments of the cardiovascular system are contributing to elevated pressure?
  3. If you could change ONE thing about this patient's physiology to lower BP first, what would you pick and why?
  4. What would you want to ask the patient before making any recommendation?
Replies

What makes a reply substantive.

  • Substantive: at least 75 words. Goes beyond "I agree" or "nice post."
  • Builds or challenges: extend a classmate's idea with new information, OR respectfully push back with reasoning.
  • Cite or apply: reference the OpenStax section, your textbook reading, or a topic from this week's pre-work.
  • At least two replies to different classmates by Sunday.
Ready to post

Open the Canvas thread for Week 6.

Initial post due Friday by 11:59 PM. Two replies due Sunday by 11:59 PM.

Open the Canvas discussion →