2. Explain to me how the Heart is able to generate an electrical impulse? __ 3. How to we record the Heart's electrical activity? __

2. The heart generates an electrical impulse through a specialized group of cells called the sinoatrial (SA) node. The SA node is located in the right atrium of the heart and is often referred to as the natural pacemaker of the heart. These cells have the ability to spontaneously generate electrical impulses that spread throughout the atria, causing them to contract and push blood into the ventricles.<br /><br />The electrical impulse then travels to the atrioventricular (AV) node, which is located in the right atrium near the ventricles. The AV node acts as a gateway, slowing down the electrical impulse before it is passed on to the ventricles. This delay ensures that the atria have finished contracting before the ventricles begin their contraction.<br /><br />From the AV node, the electrical impulse travels down the bundle of His, which is a pathway of specialized muscle fibers located in the interventricular septum. The bundle of His splits into two branches, the right and left bundle branches, which carry the impulse to the Purkinje fibers in the ventricles. The Purkinje fibers spread throughout the ventricles and cause them to contract, pumping blood out of the heart.<br /><br />3. The heart's electrical activity is recorded using an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). An ECG is a non-invasive test that measures the electrical activity of the heart. It is typically performed by attaching electrodes to the skin on the chest, arms, and legs. These electrodes detect the tiny electrical changes that occur when the heart beats and sends them to an ECG machine, which records them on a monitor or prints them out on paper.<br /><br />The resulting ECG tracing shows the different waves and intervals that represent the various stages of the cardiac cycle. These include the P wave, which represents atrial depolarization; the QRS complex, which represents ventricular depolarization; and the T wave, which represents ventricular repolarization. By analyzing the ECG, healthcare professionals can diagnose a variety of heart conditions, such as arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, and other cardiac abnormalities.