Heart

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, located just behind and slightly left of the breastbone. The heart pumps blood through the network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.
The heart has four chambers:
1. The right atrium receives blood from the veins and pumps it to the right ventricle.
2. The right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the lungs, where it is loaded with oxygen.
3. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle.
4. The left ventricle (the strongest chamber) pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The left ventricle’s vigorous contractions create our blood pressure.

Atrioventricular block

An atrioventricular block (or AV block) involves the impairment of the conduction between the atria and ventricles of the heart. Under normal conditions, SA node in the atria sets the pace for the heart, and these impulses travel down to the ventricles. In an AV block, this message does not reach the ventricles or is impaired along the way. The ventricles of the heart have their own pacing mechanisms, which can maintain a lowered heart rate in the absence of SA stimulation.