Atrioventricular
Node (AV node):
- Located in the inferior right atrium near tricuspid valve
- Slows conduction
of the impulses from the atria to the ventricles to allow time for
the atria to contract and empty the blood into the
ventricles
- Backup pacemaker with a rate of 40-60 beats/min.
- The AV node also
screens out rapid atrial impulses to protect the ventricles from
dangerously fast rates when the atrial rate is very
rapid
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