Definition

Noun: - A bundle of modified heart muscle fibers: A specific anatomical structure within the heart, also known as the atrioventricular bundle. It is a crucial part of the heart's electrical conduction system, responsible for transmitting the electrical impulse from the atrioventricular node to the ventricles, initiating their contraction.

Usage Notes

• This is a highly specialized anatomical and medical term. It is almost exclusively used in scientific, medical, and biological contexts.
• The term is named after the Swiss anatomist Wilhelm His Jr., who discovered it. The possessive form "His" is always capitalized.
• It is often used interchangeably with the more common term "atrioventricular bundle" or simply "AV bundle."

Examples

• Noun:
  • The electrical signal travels from the AV node down the bundle of His to the Purkinje fibers.
  • A blockage in the bundle of His can cause a type of heart block.
  • The surgeon was careful to avoid damaging the bundle of His during the procedure.

Advanced Usage

• "Right/Left bundle branch": The bundle of His divides into the right and left bundle branches, which further conduct the impulse. These are related but distinct structures.
  • The patient was diagnosed with a left bundle branch block.

Variants and Related Words

• Atrioventricular bundle (AV bundle) (n): The full, more descriptive name for the same structure.
• Common bundle (n): A less common synonym.
• Bundle branch (n): One of the two main subdivisions (right and left) of the bundle of His.

Synonyms

• Atrioventricular bundle
• AV bundle
• Common bundle

Related Phrases

• Conduction system of the heart: The broader system to which the bundle of His belongs.
• Heart block: A condition where the electrical impulse is delayed or blocked, often involving the bundle of His or its branches.
• Purkinje fibers: The network of fibers that receive the impulse from the bundle branches and cause the ventricles to contract.

Noun

1. a bundle of modified heart muscle that transmits the cardiac impulse from the atrioventricular node to the ventricles causing them to contract