Cardiac pacemaker ventricles, within the atrial septum. If the AV node also fails, Purkinje fibers are occasionally capable of acting as the default or "escape" pacemaker. The reason Purkinje cells do not normally control the heart rate is that they generate action potentials at a lower frequency than the AV or SA nodes. Cardiac pacemaker The contraction of cardiac muscle (heart muscle) in all animals is initiated by electrical impulses known as action potentials. The rate at which these impulses fire controls the rate of cardiac contraction, that is, the heart rate. The cells that create these rhythmic impulses, setting the pace
Isovolumetric contraction 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 valves (tricuspid and mitral valves). Atrial contraction rapidly follows, actively pumping about 20% of the returning blood. As diastole ends, the ventricles begin depolarizing and, while ventricular pressure starts to rise owing to contraction, the atrioventricular valves close in order to prevent