Heart Rate

- Cardiac muscle: Majority of the muscle that makes up the heart, which spontaneously contracts and
relaxes without any control by the nervous system (Myogenic muscle contraction). Myogenic Heart
rate is approximately 72 beats/minute.
- SA node located on upper wall of the Right atrium (acts as pacemaker): Mass of specialised tissue
that has properties of both nervous and muscle cells. SA node sends out signal (1 signal/0.08
seconds), to initiate the contraction of both atria. Signal received by AV node, which is sent (after a
delay of 0.1 second) down the septum (and later spread out by the Purkinje fibres), causing
ventricular contraction. This explains why both atria, and then both ventricles contract in synchrony.

EKG/ECG (Electrocardiogram): It is a graph plotted in real time, in which electrical activity from the SA
and AV nodes are plotted on the x-axis and the time on the y-axis.

1. P-wave: Marks atrial systole by showing the voltage given by the SA node.
2. QRS complex: At point Q, an impulse is sent by the AV node. The impulse is transmitted down
the conducting fibres and out to the Purkinje fibres in the ventricles, thus indicating ventricular
systole. The SA node also needs to repolarize; however, the electrical activity is hidden behind
the QRS complex.
3. T-wave: repolarization of the AV node as it prepares for the next cardiac cycle.