THE CARDIORESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The cardiorespiratory system is composed of two closely related systems, the

cardiovascular system consisting of the heart, blood vessels, and blood and the
respiratory system, which includes the trachea, bronchi, alveoli, and the lungs.
These systems work together to provide the body with adequate oxygen and
nutrients and to remove waste products such as CO2 from cells in the body.
THE HEART
The heart is a muscular pump that rhythmically contracts to push blood
throughout the body. The adult heart is approximately the size of a adult fist and
weighs roughly 300 g. Cardiac muscle is one of three major types of muscle, the
others being skeletal and smooth muscle. Cardiac muscle is similar to skeletal
muscle in that cardiac muscle cells contain myofibrils and sarcomeres aligned side
by side, which give them their striated appearance. Whereas skeletal muscle is a
voluntary muscle, cardiac muscle is involuntary muscle, meaning that it cannot
typically be consciously controlled.
Cardiac Muscle Contraction
Cardiac muscle fibers are shorter and more tightly connected than skeletal muscle
. Another unique feature of cardiac muscle is the presence of irregularly spaced
dark bands between cardiac cells called intercalated discs. Intercalated discs help
hold muscle cells together during contraction and create an electrical connection
between the cells that allows the heart to contract as one functional unit. The
heart has its own built-in conduction system, unlike skeletal muscle, that sends an
electrical signal rapidly throughout all the cardiac cells. The typical resting heart
rate is between 70 and 80 beats per minute.
The electrical conduction system of the
heart consists of specialized cells that allow
an electrical signal to be transmitted from
the sinoatrial (SA) node through both atria
and down into the ventricles. Thus, the
electrical conduction system of the heart is
what stimulates the mechanical myocardial
cells to contract in a regular rhythmic
pattern The SA node, located in the right
atrium, is referred to as the pacemaker for
the heart because it initiates the electrical
signal that causes the heart to beat. The
internodal pathways transfer the impulse
from the SA node to the atrioventricular (AV)
node. The AV node delays the impulse
before allowing it to move on to the
ventricles. The AV bundle conducts the
impulse to the ventricles for contraction via
the left and right bundle branches of the
Purkinje fibers.