phys·i·ol·o·gy [ fìzzee ólləjee ]
- study of functioning of living things: the branch of biology that deals with the internal workings of living things, including functions such as metabolism, respiration, and reproduction, rather than with their shape or structure
- body's internal processes: the way a particular body or organism works
- Encarta World English Dictionary
This video was a huge help in understanding the physioloogy of the heart as well as the processes that the heart went through in each stage of the cardiac cycle. It went on further to relate the cardiac cycle to the electrical conducting system of the heart. Understanding how these two items correspond to one another helped me to understand the value of an EKG (or ECG) as a diagnostic tool.
Nurse's Note: Defects in the hearts conduction system cause many common arrhythmias such as V-Fib (ventricular fibrillation). The EKG is the most common tool for determining where any issues within the heart and its conduction system arise from. Some arrhythmias require the placement of a man-made pacemaker in order to help the heart to beat within its defined parameters in order to maintain homeostasis of the body.
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