APPLIED RADIOLOGICAL ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -The sinus node continuously generates electrical impulses, thereby setting the normal rhythm and rate in a healthy heart. Hence, the SA node is referred to as the natural pacemaker of the heart.

Detailed explanation-2: -The sinus node is sometimes called the heart’s “natural pacemaker.” Each time the sinus node generates a new electrical impulse; that impulse spreads out through the heart’s upper chambers, called the right atrium and the left atrium (figure 2).

Detailed explanation-3: -SA node pacemaker cells depolarize at a rate of 60 to 100 per minute, while the AV node at 40 to 60 per minute. The pacemaker with the highest rate of depolarization takes over as the primary pacemaker. In healthy individuals, this is the SA node.

Detailed explanation-4: -The cells of the SA node at the top of the heart are known as the pacemaker of the heart because the rate at which these cells send out electrical signals determines the rate at which the entire heart beats (heart rate).