Patient Care Technician (PCT) AAH Practice Exam

Impulses from the AV node travel through which structure to go to the right and left branches?

1. Bundle of His

2. Purkinje fibers

3. Atrioventricular bundle

4. Interventricular septum

The correct answer is: Bundle of His

The correct answer is the Bundle of His. This structure is crucial in the conduction system of the heart, acting as a pathway for electrical impulses to travel from the atrioventricular (AV) node down into the ventricles. After the electrical impulses are generated in the sinoatrial (SA) node, they travel to the AV node, where the signal is delayed slightly to allow for proper filling of the ventricles. Once the impulse passes through the AV node, it enters the Bundle of His, also known as the atrioventricular bundle. This bundle then splits into the right and left bundle branches, leading to the respective ventricles. Understanding the pathway of electrical conduction in the heart is vital for recognizing how signals coordinate heartbeats and how disturbances in this pathway can lead to arrhythmias. The Bundle of His is central to this process as it connects the atrial conduction system to the ventricular system, ensuring that impulses reach both sides of the heart in a coordinated manner. The other options, while related to heart physiology, do not directly facilitate the transfer of impulses from the AV node to the branches. For instance, Purkinje fibers are responsible for rapidly conducting impulses throughout the ventricles but are downstream of the Bundle of His