What 's Internal Electrical System Controls The Rate And Rhythm Of Each Heartbeat

5. Conduction, pp.1099-1103. Conduction system of the heart. Specialized cardiac muscle cells in the wall of the heart rapidly conduct an electrical impulse throughout the myocardium. The signal is initiated by the SA node (pacemaker) and spreads to the rest of the atrial myocardium and to the AV node. The AV node then initiates a signal that is conducted throught the ventricular myocardium by way of the AV bundle (of His) and Purkinje fibers.

When one begins to discuss issues that arise with an intrinsic organ, things get serious. Unfortunately, vital organs like the heart and liver that are causing problems can’t be removed like the appendix or the kidney and “cure” people of issues such as Appendicitis or constant dealings with gallstones. This is true when things begin to go awry within the heart and conditions begin to arise. Atrial Fibrillation (A-fib) is the most common type of arrhythmia, or issue with the heart rate or rhythm. Though A-fib is not a condition that is life-threatening, depending on the severity and lack of treatment, this condition leads to more serious issues like heart disease, and even heart attacks and strokes, which are usually what end up being the cause of death in individuals diagnosed with the condition. Because of A-fib leading to other more detrimental problems, such as the ones listed above, it is difficult to identify and pinpoint if someone has it or had it, which is why it is known as one of the contributors to the “silent killer,” also known as the heart attack. In this paper, gaining a deeper understanding of Atrial Fibrillation will be accomplished through the exploration of: causes, diagnosis, symptoms and treatment, the variation of types, what all is affected within the body as a result, what happens physically, and what occurs at the cellular level when diagnosed with this disorder. All in all, Atrial Fibrillation should be taken seriously and further research is

In the normal conduction of the heart the electrical impulse starts in the SA node, also called the pacemaker of the heart. The electrical impulse travels through the right atrium and through the Bachmann’s bundle into the left atrium. This stimulates the atria to contract. Next the signal travel to the AV node. The AV node slightly delays the signal. This delay is needed for the heart to beat properly. Without this delay the atria and ventricles would beat at the same time. The electrical signal then travels to the Bundle of His where it is split into the signals going to the right and left ventricle. The signal

The Q is the first wave downward, or negative, wave form of the QRS complex. The R wave is the first positive or upward, deflection. The R wave can occur with or without a Q wave. The T wave represents ventricular repolarization. The QT indicated the time from ventricular depolarization to repolarization. The wave of electricity it continues traveling through the myocardium to atrioventricular node. The AV node it coordinates the incoming electrical impulses from the atria and relays the impulse to the ventricles through a bundle of specialized muscle fibers. The atria pump blood into the ventricles and then the ventricles pump blood out of the heart. Chambers of the heart fill with blood during a relaxation phase diastole and eject blood during a contraction phase systole. Atrial

Arrhythmias: auscultate apical pulse to detect an irregular heart rate or bradycardia; both indicate a reduced cardiac output, which requires immediate intervention.

“An electrical signal from the ventricles causes an early heart beat that generally goes unnoticed”

An arrhythmia occurs when either the heart’s natural pacemaker develops an abnormal rate or rhythm, or the normal conduction pathway is interrupted. This can be caused by things such as high blood pressure, valve disorders, changes in heart muscle, or an electrolyte imbalance in the blood. Arrhythmia affects the heart and thee entire circulatory system because of the effects on the heart. Certain symptoms to tell if you have arrhythmia are if you experience “…dizziness or light headedness, fainting, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, weakness or fatigue” (webmd.com). In most cases arrhythmia is not fatal and requires no treatment, however it can be fatal if not treated properly. It can be treated by using certain drugs that “…control your heart rate and include beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers” (webmd.com). Doctors also prescribe drugs that decrease your chances of blood clots and strokes (blood thinners). In some cases patients might need to have surgery. One type of surgery is called

An arrhythmia is a problem associated with the electrical activity of the heart resulting in a heartrate that can be too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia). Arrhythmias are generally categorized as ventricular or supraventricular.1 Ventricular arrhythmias are a condition in which extra heartbeats originate from the lower chambers of the heart and can be classified as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or premature ventricular contractions. Supraventricular arrhythmias originate in the upper chambers of the heart and can be less serious than ventricular arrhythmias. Both types of arrhythmia can cause shortness of breath, chest tightness, dizziness, or syncope. The National Institute

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of heart dysrhythmia which causes the irregular beating of the two atria in the heart. The cause of AF is multiple atrial ectopic foci firing randomly and chaotically. Atria rhythm can be completely disorganized at a rate of 350 to 600 times per minute by the multiple rapid impulses from numerous atrial foci, so the atria are in a quiver status; the ventricles beat with a rapid rate due to the rapid atrial impulses (Ignatavicius and Workman, 2013). The ventricular contraction rhythm can be 120 to 200 beats per minute. The ECG result shows a chaotic rhythm, no P waves, no atrial contractions, no atrial kick and irregular ventricular contractions. The rapid, irregular ventricular rate decreases

The wave spreads through the atria before reaching the atrioventricular node, or AV node, located just above the right ventricle. The AV node focuses the wave into the ventricles, contracting the ventricles. Should the SA node fail, the AV node can take over as the primary pacemaker at a rate of forty to sixty beats per minute.

I'm witting my paper on what an Arrhythmia is. It's a sometimes fatal condition that affects the cardiac muscle, the heart. Arrhythmia's are identified according to two factors. Firstly, where they originate, the artria or ventricals. Secondly, they are classified on whether the heart is beating too slow; Bradycardia, or too fast; trachycardia. A high or slow heart beats does not always necessarily mean there is heart disease though. Our heart rate increases during exercise, of course this is normal. Some extremely fit athletes have a resting heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute. Alcohol abuse, diabetes, drug abuse, excessive coffee consumption, heart disease, hypertension (elevated blood pressure), hyperthyroidism (an overactive

An electrocardiogram is a recording of the heart’s electrical activity. It graphs the activity over a period of time electrodes attached to the outer surface of the skin. These electrodes detect the heart’s activity and record it on a device that is connected to the electrodes. The cardiac cycle is the sequence of events that occurs when the heart beats. The output for the ECG forms a graph that shows several different waves, each corresponding to a different electrical and mechanical event within the heart. Changes in these waves are used to identify problems with the different phases of heart activity (Boundless, 2016).

The heart generates the electrical activity during the cardiac cycle then the electrical activity causes ventricular contractions and atrial. So, in turn, forces blood between the chambers of the heart and around the body. The closure and opening of the heart valves are associated with accelerations and decelerations of blood. That causes vibrations in the entire cardiac structure. These vibrations are heard using heart sounds recorders

Atrial fibrillation is a condition that the heart beat irregularly and often rapidly. Normally, a sinoatrial node (SA node) in the right atrium of the heart acts as the heart’s natural pacemaker and generates electrical signals to start the heart beating in an organized way. It allows atria to contract and squeeze regularly traveling the electrical signals through the atrioventricular node (AV node) which is situated in the centre of the heart between the atria and ventricles, the electrical signals then steadily pass through to the ventricles keeping the heart beating constantly and blood flowing to the lungs and body. This impulse allows the atria and ventricles work together to maintain a normal sinus rhythm of the heartbeat. In AF, the

The heart is one of the most important organs in an organism’s body, no matter if they are aquatic, amphibian, or a mammal. This super organ works automatically, able to pump massive amounts of oxygen rich blood through the body by means of electrical impulses and the opening and closing of valves within its many layers. It is what keeps us and every other creature on this earth alive; so it is only natural for one to fear when there might be a problem with one’s heart. A cardiac arrhythmia can happen to anyone, no matter the age, race, or gender, and as such, doctors and scientist have spent years trying to better understand the heart and the way it functions so that they can try to prevent these problems and save millions of lives.