In: Anatomy and Physiology
What is the role of connective tissue in the heart – what does it do? What is its impact on conduction? Contraction?
Myocardium is the connective tissue that makes up the cardiac muscle cells comprising the Heart wall.connective tissue functions in Involuntary contraction and relaxation, pump blood in heart.
There are two major types of cardiac muscle cells: myocardial contractile cells and myocardial conducting cells. The myocardial contractile cells conduct impulses and are responsible for contractions that pump blood through the body. myocardial conducting cells forms the conduction system of the heart and have few of the myofibrils or filaments needed for contraction. Myocardial conduction cells initiate and propagate the action potential that travels throughout the heart and triggers the contractions that propel the blood.
If the heart is damaged, fibrosis may occur to help patch up the injury. This scar tissue is formed from connective tissue and helps to provide structural integrity to affected area.