Electrophysiologic Characteristics of Accessory Connections: An Overview
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Der-Yan Tai; Ruey J. Sung
- Source
- Cardiac Preexcitation Syndromes ISBN: 9781468475289
- Subject
- medicine.medical_specialty
business.industry
Human heart
Protective barrier
Ventricular myocardium
Fully developed
Cardiac impulses
medicine.anatomical_structure
Ventricle
Internal medicine
Av conduction
cardiovascular system
Cardiology
Medicine
cardiovascular diseases
Anulus fibrosus
business
- Language
In a fully developed human heart, the atrial and ventricular myocardium are separated by fibrous atrioventricular (AV) rings (anulus fibrosus) which are insulated to cardiac impulses. An atrial impulse is conveyed to the ventricles by way of the normal AV conduction pathway — the AV node-His-Purkinje system [1,2]. The AV node possesses two unique electrophysiologic properties and functions as a protective barrier [3]: (1) delaying intranodal conduction, and (2) serving as a filter to prevent an excessive number of atrial impulses from reaching the ventricle.