Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Isolation and Functional Characterization of Human Ventricular Cardiomyocytes from Fresh Surgical Samples
Published on: April 21, 2014
Electrophysiologic characteristics of human ventricular and Purkinje fibers
Abstract:
We studied the electrophysiologic characteristics of ventricular muscle and Purkinje fibers from the hearts of five patients undergoing cardiac transplantation. All five patients had congestive failure and coronary artery disease before surgery and were receiving digitalis therapy. Ventricular muscle had a maximal diastolic potential (MDP) of -78 +/- 1 mV (mean +/- SEM), an action potential (AP) amplitude of 104 +/- 2 mV, a phase 0 upstroke velocity (Vmax) of 297 +/- 19 V/sec and an AP duration at 50% repolarization (APD50) of 190 +/- 4 msec. Purkinje fibers had an MDP of -80 +/- 2 mV, an AP amplitude of 107 +/- 2 mV, a Vmax of 388 +/- 25 V/sec and an APD50 of 195 +/- 9 msec. Fibers from infarcted sections of the heart had significantly longer APD than those from noninfarcted, which resulted in marked dispersion of APD in infarcted and adjacent zones. Both epinephrine and ouabain induced delayed after depolarizations in Purkinje fiber. This suggest that delayed after depolarizations and resultant triggered activity can occur in the human ventricle.
Related Concept Videos
Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles
Cardiac muscle cells are smaller than skeletal muscles, averaging 10–20 mm in diameter and 50–100 mm in length. However, they have large energy demands for continuous contraction and relaxation. This energy is almost exclusively derived from aerobic metabolism of energy reserves in...
Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm
Conduction System of the Heart
The pacemaker cells are located in two primary nodes: the sinoatrial (SA) node and the atrioventricular (AV) node. The SA node pacemaker cells can autonomously depolarize, triggering an action potential that leads to the...
Conduction System of the Heart
This system relies on the unique properties of nodal and Purkinje cells:...
Cardiac Action Potential
The cardiac action potential process involves a series of phases characterized by the movement of ions across the cardiac cell membranes, leading to the depolarization and repolarization of the cardiac myocytes.
Ionic Basis of Cardiac Action Potentials
Dysrhythmias III: Characteristics of Dysrhythmias

