Use the interactive figure below to trace the pathway of the action potential over the heart and to identify the locations of the parts of the conduction system.
QUESTION: What other structure has a cellular structure similar to that of the AV node? Answer
QUESTION: What is the main direction of the action potential during the main phase of ventricular excitation? Answer
QUESTION: Why is the electrocardiogram flat in the interval between the P wave and the Q wave? Answer
QUESTION: Why doesn't the action potential travel directly from the bottom of the atria into the top of the ventricles? Answer
QUESTION: What might happen if a small, abnormal piece of muscle tissue created a connection across the connective tissue, so that the action potential at one spot could move directly from the atria into the top of a ventricle? Answer