Anaesthesia Fundamentals | Physiology | Smooth Muscle Physiology

Smooth Muscle Physiology
Session Overview
Description
This session covers the structure and function of smooth muscle.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the structure of visceral and multiunit smooth muscle
• Distinguish the structure of smooth muscle from skeletal and cardiac muscle
• Describe the mechanism of contraction of smooth muscle
• State the locations and functions of smooth muscle
• Describe how smooth muscle contraction is controlled

In anaesthesia and critical care we frequently administer drugs which exert their effect by acting upon smooth muscle. Many disease processes cause physiological change by altering smooth muscle function.

It is therefore important to understand the physiology of smooth muscle.

This session covers the structure of smooth muscle, the mechanism of contraction and the control of smooth muscle function.