Читать книгу Understanding Anatomy and Physiology in Nursing - John Knight - Страница 95

Unlike skeletal muscle which consists of parallel running fibres, the cardiac muscle, which forms the myocardium, has a branched structure consisting of individual cells joined together by tight junctions termed intercalated discs. These allow efficient and rapid movement of electrical signals through the myocardium, allowing the component fibres to contract in synchrony to ensure the myocardium contracts as a single unit. Cardiac muscle has a unique feature called intrinsic rhythm which is an inbuilt ability to contract at a regular rate, allowing the heart to beat at a relatively regular rhythm even if its natural pacemaker is damaged.