Cardiac muscle the walls of a house contain electrical wires and plumbing, cardiac muscle also contains specialised cells for conducting electrical signals rapidly (the cardiac conduction system), and blood vessels to bring nutrients to the muscle cells and take away waste products (the coronary arteries, veins and capillary network). Cardiac muscle cells or cardiomyocytes are the contracting cells which allow the heart to pump. Each cardiomyocyte needs to contract in coordination with its neighbouring cells to efficiently pump blood from the heart, and if this coordination breaks down then – despite individual cells contracting – the heart may not pump at all,
Mesenteric arteries smaller mesenteric vessels, the resistance of blood flow to the gut increases, and hence blood flows more readily to other organs. Mesenteric arteries The mesenteric arteries take blood from the aorta and distribute it to a large portion of the gastrointestinal tract. Both the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries arise from the abdominal aorta. Each of these arteries travel through the mesentery, within which they branch several times before reaching the gut. In humans, many of these branches are named, but in smaller animals the branches are more variable. In some animals, including humans, branches of these arteries join with