HEART CONTRACTION Meaning and
Definition
-
Heart contraction refers to the rhythmic and coordinated movement of the muscular walls of the heart, known as the myocardium, that results in the pumping of blood. It is an essential physiological process that allows the heart to effectively circulate blood throughout the body.
During heart contraction, also known as systole, the myocardium contracts to squeeze the chamber it surrounds, forcing blood to be ejected from the heart. This action starts with the electrical signals generated by the heart's own pacemaker, the sinoatrial (SA) node, which initiates a wave of electrical impulses that subsequently travel through specific pathways within the heart. These impulses stimulate the contraction of the atria, or the upper chambers of the heart, facilitating the filling of the lower chambers, called ventricles.
The subsequent contraction of the ventricles is essential for pumping oxygenated blood to the body and deoxygenated blood to the lungs for reoxygenation. This coordinated contraction is regulated by specialized cells in the heart muscles known as Purkinje fibers, which conduct the electrical signals to ensure a synchronized contraction of the myocardium. The force generated during the contraction is responsible for the blood being propelled forward through the heart and into the blood vessels.
Overall, heart contraction is a crucial process for maintaining proper blood circulation, ensuring oxygen and nutrients reach the body's tissues and organs while removing waste products. Any disruptions to this process can lead to various cardiac conditions and compromise the overall functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Common Misspellings for HEART CONTRACTION
- geart contraction
- beart contraction
- neart contraction
- jeart contraction
- ueart contraction
- yeart contraction
- hwart contraction
- hsart contraction
- hdart contraction
- hrart contraction
- h4art contraction
- h3art contraction
- hezrt contraction
- hesrt contraction
- hewrt contraction
- heqrt contraction
- heaet contraction
- headt contraction
- heaft contraction
- heatt contraction
Etymology of HEART CONTRACTION
The term "heart contraction" is not a specific word that has its own etymology. Instead, it is a combination of two separate words: "heart" and "contraction".
The word "heart" traces back to the Old English word "heorte", which is believed to be derived from the Proto-Germanic word "khertan", meaning the organ at the center of the chest that pumps blood. This Proto-Germanic word is thought to have come from the Proto-Indo-European root "kerd", which means "heart".
The word "contraction" originates from the Latin word "contrahere", which is formed by combining "con-" meaning "together" and "trahere" meaning "to draw". In English, "contraction" generally refers to the process of becoming smaller or tighter.
