Superior vena
A. Right Side
Membranous septum
"Bypass" fibers
Anterior papillary muscle
pulmonary veins Mitral valve (cut away)
Purkinje
Posterior papillary muscle
Paraspcdfie fibcrs ot
Figurę 4.4 Anatomy oe the Specialized Conduction System
trunk Superior vena cava
Bachmann's bundle
Cardiac muscle or the heart exists in two forrrts: the contractile myocardium and specialized conducting celk that rło not contract but do spread the wave of depołarization rapidly throughout the t tirimbers ot the heart. Ac.tion potentials aro initiated in the sinoatrial (SA) node, which serves as the "pacemaker" of the heart. Impulses are conveyed to the atrioventricular (AV) node and then to the com-mon AV bundle (of His). Front here, the action potential spreads rapidly through the ventricles via the right and left bundle branches and Purkinje fiber system.
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