Cardiac pacemaker discharge at about 40-60 beats per minute, and are called the "secondary pacemaker". Further down the electrical conducting system of the heart is the Bundle of His. The left and right branches of this bundle, and the Purkinje fibres, will also produce a spontaneous action potential at a rate of 30-40 beats per minute, so if the SA and AV node both fail to function, these cells can become pacemakers. It is important to realize that these cells will be initiating action potentials and contraction at a much lower rate than the primary or secondary pacemaker cells. The SA node
Isovolumetric contraction maintain the correct unidirectional flow of blood through the heart and circulatory system. The word contains the prefix iso-, derived from the Ancient Greek ἴσος (ísos), meaning equal. Therefore, an isovolumetric contraction is one in which the volume of fluid remains constant. Isovolumetric contraction In cardiac physiology, isovolumetric contraction is an event occurring in early systole during which the ventricles contract with no corresponding volume change (isovolumetrically). This short-lasting portion of the cardiac cycle takes place while all heart valves are closed. In a healthy young adult, blood enters the atria and flows to the ventricles via the opened atrioventricular