Customer Service
BIOTRONIK, Inc.
6024 Jean Road
Lake Oswego, OR, 97035-5571 , USA
Tel: +1 800-547-0394
Fax: +1 503-635-9936
marketing@biotronik.com
www.biotronik.com
BIOTRONIK, Inc.
6024 Jean Road
Lake Oswego, OR, 97035-5571 , USA
Tel: +1 800-547-0394
Fax: +1 503-635-9936
marketing@biotronik.com
The heart is a hollow muscle that is about the size of a fist. In one minute, it pumps about five liters (roughly five quarts) of blood through the body. To do this work, the healthy heart beats between 60 and 80 times per minute. During physical exercise or under acute mental stress, the heartbeat can increase to more than 100 beats per minute to supply the organs and tissues with a sufficient amount of oxygen.
The heart is made up of four chambers. A wall called the septum separates the left and right halves. Both halves of the heart have an atrium and a ventricle. The right side of the heart pumps already used, dark-red blood into the lungs. After the blood has been enriched with oxygen in the lungs, it flows to the left half of the heart. The left side of the heart pumps regenerated, bright-red blood into the main artery, the aorta, and supplies the body with oxygen.
Coronary Arteries
The cardiac muscle needs nutrients and oxygen. This job is done by the cardiac vessels, also known as the coronary arteries. The left side of the heart has coronary arteries in front and behind it; the right side relies on just one artery.
SA Node – The Body's Natural Pacemaker
The heart beats because the atria and ventricles contract rhythmically using low natural electrical signals that originate in the SA node, a network of nerves. From there, the signals spread through conductive tissue in the myocardium (the electrical conduction system), until they reach the heart's most remote cells. The signals travel from the upper to the lower chamber of the heart. The SA node, which triggers the heartbeat and controls the regular sequence of the individual phases, is often called "the body's natural pacemaker."
ECG Provides Information About The Heart
The electrocardiogram (ECG) records the heartbeats per minute and the succession of contractions for each heartbeat. Analyzing the heartbeats enables the physician to gain important information on your heart's status.
