ANATOMICAL LANDMARKS OF THE CARDIAC CONDUCTION SYSTEM.

The human heart beats around 2.5 billion times during a normal lifetime. Responsible for this function is the cardiac conduction system (CCS). This unique system is formed by specialized cardiomyocites, in which generate the cardiac impulse and conduct it from the atrial to the ventricular chambers. The functional components of the CCS are: sinoatrial node (SAN), atrioventricular node(AVN), atrioventricular bundle (AVB or bundle of His), the right and the left bundle branches (RBB and LBB) and the Purkinje network fibers. The CCS examination is a difficult task for most practicing pathologists, because it is macroscopically identical to the surrounding cardiac structures. For this reason,detailed anatomical knowledge is required to identify it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]