Cardiac pacemakerThe contraction of cardiac muscle (heart muscle) in all animals is initiated by electrical impulses known as action potentials that in the heart are known as cardiac action potentials. The rate at which these impulses fire controls the rate of cardiac contraction, that is, the heart rate. The cells that create these rhythmic impulses, setting the pace for blood pumping, are called pacemaker cells, and they directly control the heart rate. They make up the cardiac pacemaker, that is, the natural pacemaker of the heart.
Faisceau de HisLe faisceau de His ou faisceau atrioventriculaire est un faisceau de cellules musculaires cardiaques spécialisées dans la conduction électrique. Il transmet les impulsions électriques des atria (oreillettes) aux ventricules, induisant la contraction des muscles cardiaques des ventricules. Il fait suite au nœud atrioventriculaire. Ces fibres musculaires spécialisées du cœur doivent leur nom au cardiologue suisse Wilhelm His Jr., qui les a découvertes en 1893, aidé par les travaux de Walter Gaskell.
Anterior cardiac veinsThe anterior cardiac veins (or anterior veins of right ventricle) are a variable number of small veins (usually 2-5) which drain blood from the anterior portion of the right ventricle into the right atrium. The right marginal vein frequently opens into the right atrium, and is therefore sometimes regarded as belonging to this group. Unlike most cardiac veins, the anterior cardiac veins do not end in the coronary sinus; instead, they drain directly into the anterior wall of the right atrium.
Premature atrial contractionPremature atrial contraction (PAC), also known as atrial premature complexes (APC) or atrial premature beats (APB), are a common cardiac dysrhythmia characterized by premature heartbeats originating in the atria. While the sinoatrial node typically regulates the heartbeat during normal sinus rhythm, PACs occur when another region of the atria depolarizes before the sinoatrial node and thus triggers a premature heartbeat, in contrast to escape beats, in which the normal sinoatrial node fails, leaving a non-nodal pacemaker to initiate a late beat.
Truncus arteriosusThe truncus arteriosus is a structure that is present during embryonic development. It is an arterial trunk that originates from both ventricles of the heart that later divides into the aorta and the pulmonary trunk. Heart development The truncus arteriosus and bulbus cordis are divided by the aorticopulmonary septum. The truncus arteriosus gives rise to the ascending aorta and the pulmonary trunk. The caudal end of the bulbus cordis gives rise to the smooth parts (outflow tract) of the left and right ventricles (aortic vestibule & conus arteriosus respectively).
