Electrical System in Heart

Electrical System

Heart is a muscle, and like any other muscle, while getting the flow of electrical impulses, the heart muscle to contract (shorten). When the heart muscle contracts, would cause blood in it pumped through the lines contained in heart.

Two of the main body electrolyte involved in the process of electrical impulses in the heart are sodium and potassium. In addition to the two main electrolytes, there are other electrolytes which also helps in creating an electric potential difference is that calcium and magnesium, but the main role remains the property of sodium and potassium.

Electrical System in Heart

Potassium is usually abundant in the cell, and there are a lot of sodium outside the cell. Through several specific mechanisms, potassium slowly going out to the outside of the cell and sodium then enter the cell. This creates an electrical potential different from the growing to the point of discharge electrical impulses.

Electrical System in Heart

  Electrolyte exchange occurs across specialized cells in the heart, making a different electrical potential on both sides of the cell. When the electrical potential reaches a certain threshold, this potential will be released and will be delivered through other unique cells present in the heart, and cause contraction of the heart muscles.

Set some specific cells that regulate the heart rate is called the sinoatrial node or SA node. SA node is the natural pacemaker located in the upper right atrium near the entrance of the superior vena cava.

When the SA node sends electrical signals, electrical signals will be with immediate effect and cause the atria to contract atrium. The electrical signal then goes to a set of cells called Atrioventricular node, or AV node. From the AV node the electrical impulse will then spread to the bundle of His to be branched to the right and left heart. After that the electrical impulse will spread through the ventricles via the Purkinje fibers. All this together will cause the atria to contract, then the ventricles contract thereafter.

Atrial contraction that began earlier than the ventricles is very important to our lives. This will cause the atria pump blood continues to flow forward through the track to the ventricles and together with heart valve closing mechanism, preventing the blood from the ventricle back into the atrium.