bundle of His

views updated May 23 2018

bundle of His The specialized cardiac muscle fibres in the mammalian heart that receive electrical stimuli from the atrioventricular node and transmit them throughout the network of Purkyne fibres. This allows the excitation to reach all parts of the ventricles rapidly and initiates a wave of contraction to expel blood into the aorta and pulmonary artery. The fibres are named after Swiss anatomist Wilhelm His (1831–1904).

bundle of His

views updated May 23 2018

bundle of His (hiss) n. see atrioventricular bundle. [ W. His (1863–1934), Swiss anatomist]