The rhythm of your heart is normally controlled by a mass of tissue in the right atrium (sinus node). The sinus node produces electrical impulses that generate each heartbeat. These electrical impulses travel across the atria, causing muscle contractions that pump blood into the ventricles. The electrical impulses then arrive at a cluster of cells called the atrioventricular (AV) node, usually the only pathway for signals to travel from the atria to the ventricles. The AV node slows the electrical signal before sending it to the ventricles. This slight delay allows the ventricles to fill with blood. When electrical impulses reach the ventricles, muscle contractions pump blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. Louis Wolff, Sir John Parkinson and Paul Dudley White, who discovered the phenomenon that later would be called the WPW syndrome. The upstroke of the QRS-complex is 'slurred', resulting in a delta-wave (arrow). Conduction through the accessory pathway results in a delta wave. WPW affects between .01%- .03% of the population per year.
The rhythm of your heart is normally controlled by a mass of tissue in the right atrium (sinus node). The sinus node produces electrical impulses that generate each heartbeat. These electrical impulses travel across the atria, causing muscle contractions that pump blood into the ventricles. The electrical impulses then arrive at a cluster of cells called the atrioventricular (AV) node, usually the only pathway for signals to travel from the atria to the ventricles. The AV node slows the electrical signal before sending it to the ventricles. This slight delay allows the ventricles to fill with blood. When electrical impulses reach the ventricles, muscle contractions pump blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. Louis Wolff, Sir John Parkinson and Paul Dudley White, who discovered the phenomenon that later would be called the WPW syndrome. The upstroke of the QRS-complex is 'slurred', resulting in a delta-wave (arrow). Conduction through the accessory pathway results in a delta wave. WPW affects between .01%- .03% of the population per year.