Pacemaker

The initial electrical impulse that begins the process of a heartbeat is generated by a group of cells located in the upper chamber of the heart. This special pathway is as follow: the sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, his-purkinje network. The impulse starts in a small bundle of specialized cell which is known as the sinoatrial node located in the right atrium. The sinoatrial node sets the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat. The atrioventricular node slows the electrical signal before it enters the ventricles. It is located in the center of the heart between the atria and the ventricles. What the slowing down of the electrical impulses does is to give the atria time to contract before the ventricles do. Impulses are then sent to the muscular walls of the ventricles be a pathway of fibre known as the His-Purkinje …show more content…
The sinoatrial node would fire another impulse which would initiate the cycle to begin again. Arrhythmias is when the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat has a defect. To correct this a pacemaker can be used. A pacemaker is a small device that is placed in the chest or even the abdomen that is used to control abnormal heart rhythms. The pacemaker uses energy electrical (low) pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate. There are four valves in the heart which prevents the backflow of blood. They are the bicuspid valve, tricuspid valve, aortic semilunar valve and the pulmonary semilunar valve. The bicuspid valve is located between the left atrium and ventricle. The tricuspid valve is located between the right atrium and ventricle. The aortic semilunar valve is located between the left ventricle and the aorta and the pulmonary semilunar valve is located between the right ventricle and the