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Unit of study_
PHTY5192: Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy
2026 unit information
This unit will introduce students to the knowledge, skills and clinical decision-making processes necessary for effective assessment and treatment of patients across the age spectrum with acute and chronic respiratory and cardiac dysfunction. In particular, students will evaluate pathophysiological and functional consequences of surgery (abdominal, thoracic and cardiac), infective, inflammatory, restrictive and obstructive pulmonary disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Students will learn the practical skills and develop treatment strategies to effectively manage respiratory problems. Additionally this unit will develop the student's knowledge of exercise and aims to apply the principles of exercise testing, prescription and training to patients who have cardiac and pulmonary limitations and other co-morbidities to exercise. The unit will provide students with an opportunity to apply, integrate and extend knowledge at a postgraduate level based on their previous degree.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Movement Sciences |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Bachelor's Degree Level study in Human Anatomy; Human Physiology; Neuroscience; Psychology; and Exercise Physiology is essential |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Demonstrate sound clinical reasoning to determine patient problems (by interpretation of assessment findings), establish treatment goals, and using evidenced-based practice, determine and implement safe and effective physiotherapy interventions for patients with cardiorespiratory problems
- LO2. Plan and implement an efficient, effective, culturally responsive, and client-centred physiotherapy assessment of a patient with a cardiorespiratory problem (including history taking, observation, palpation, auscultation, chest X-ray interpretation, and spirometry)
- LO3. Communicate effectively to develop trust and rapport with patients
- LO4. Record and effectively communicate physiotherapy assessment findings and outcomes in the medical record, to the patient and other health professionals
- LO5. Interpret exercise data from patients with cardiovascular or respiratory disease, prescribe evidence-based exercise training for patients with cardiovascular or respiratory disease, and explain the effects of exercise training for these patients
- LO6. Describe the pathophysiological and functional consequences of surgery and anaesthesia, infective, inflammatory, and restrictive respiratory conditions, and airflow limitation on the respiratory system
- LO7. Describe the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and its related co-morbidities.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2026
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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