Node, atrioventricular
The electrical relay station between the upper and lower chambers of the heart. Abbreviated AV node. Electrical signals from the atria must pass through the AV node to reach the ventricles. The AV node, which controls the heart rate, is one of the major elements in the cardiac conduction system. The AV node serves as an electrical relay station, slowing the electrical current sent by the sinoatrial (SA) node before the signal is permitted to pass down through to the ventricles. This delay ensures that the atria have an opportunity to fully contract before the ventricles are stimulated. After passing the AV node, the electrical current travels to the ventricles, along special fibers embedded in the walls of the lower part of the heart.
Read Also:
- Node, AV
The AV node (AV stands for atrioventricular) is an electrical relay station between the atria (the upper) and the ventricles (the lower chambers of the heart). Electrical signals from the atria must pass through the AV node to reach the ventricles. The AV node is one of the major elements in the cardiac conduction system, […]
- Node, Heberden
A small fixed bump on the finger, usually at the last joint of the finger, Heberden’s node is a calcified spur of the joint (articular) cartilage and is a sign of osteoarthritis. Named for the English physician William Heberden (1710-1801) who made a number of celebrated medical discoveries (including angina).
- Node, SA
The SA node (SA stands for sinoatrial) is one of the major elements in the cardiac conduction system, the system that controls the heart rate. This stunningly designed system generates electrical impulses and conducts them throughout the muscle of the heart, stimulating the heart to contract and pump blood. The SA node is the heart’s […]
- Node, sentinel lymph
The first lymph node to receive lymphatic drainage from a tumor. The sentinel node for a given tumor is found by injecting a tracer substance around the tumor. This substance then travels through the lymphatic system to the sentinel node. The tracer subst
- Node, sinoatrial
The heart’s natural pacemaker, one of the major elements in the cardiac conduction system, the system that controls the heart rate. Abbreviated SA node. The SA node consists of a cluster of cells that are situated in the upper part of the wall of the heart’s right atrium, where the electrical impulses are generated. An […]