Sinoatrial node Sinoatrial node The sinoatrial node (SA node), also known as sinus node, is a group of cells located in the wall of the right atrium of the heart. These cells have the ability to spontaneously produce an electrical impulse (action potential; see below for more details), that travels through the heart via the electrical conduction system (see figure 1) causing it to contract. In a healthy heart, the SA node continuously produces action potential, setting the rhythm of the heart and so is known as the heart's natural pacemaker. The rate of action potential production (and therefore the heart rate)
Sinoatrial block lengthening of conduction time from the SA node to the atria. The p-cells in the centre of the node produce the rhythm at a regular rate, but their conduction across the node to where it meets atrial tissue is where the slowing occurs. A second degree type II, or sinus exit block, is a regular rhythm that may be normal or slow. It is followed by a pause that is a multiple of the P-P interval usually (2-4) . Conduction across the SA node is normal until the time of the pause when it is blocked. A third degree sinoatrial