Electrophysiology of the Heart Flashcards
Lecture 18
What is coupled with heart muscle contraction?
generation of action potentials in cells
What are the 2 main types of cells of the heart?
Conducting cells and contractile cells
Where are conducting cells found?
In SA/AV nodes, atrial internodal tracts, Bundle of His, Purkinje system.
2 properties of all cardiac cells
automaticity (generate own AP) and rhythmicity (generate APs in regular, repetitive manner
Gap junctions between cardiomyocytes
Allow the heart to behave as one big cell; cells are coupled electrically through gap junctions
What voltage-gated channels open when an AP occurs?
Sodium, calcium, and potassium
SA node
source of initial electrical impulse
pacemaker (60-100 AP/min)
Overdrive suppression
The SA node’s ability to keep other conducting cells from spontaneously firing
Where does the AP of the SA node spread to cause the atria to contract?
internodal/interarterial fibers
P wave in EKG
depolarization of the atria
What blocks from electrical impulse flow from the SA nodes into the ventricles?
Annulus fibrosus
-E.I. can only get into ventricles through the AV node
What is the result of the small lag time between the conduction of the AP from the atrium to the ventricles due to the only point of conduction being the AV node to the ventricles?
Maximum atrial contraction helps fill the ventricles to the maximum; AV node conduction is slowest which helps the ventricles fill
Pathway of action potential conduction from AV node
SA node–> AV node–> Bundle of His–> Purkinje fibers
this correlates with the QRS complex in the EKG
QRS complex
AV node–> Bundle of His–> Purkinje fibers
T wave
ventricular repolarization
Slowest conduction velocities
AV node
Fastest conduction velocities
Purkinje fibers
Order of conduction velocities
SA/AV node < Atrial pathway/Ventricular cardiomyocytes < Purkinje fibers
What does an EKG record?
Electrical extracellular signals produced by AP in cardiac myocytes.
P wave
-sequential depolarization of R/L atria and atrial muscle action potential
What things are not seen on an EKG?
SA node depolarization/repolarization, AV node depolarization/repolarization
QRS complex
R/L ventricular depolarization/AP
ST wave
isoelectric, plateau of ventricular AP to rapid ejection phase; myocardium maintain contraction to expel blood
QT interval
duration of ventricular depolarization and repolarization