Your heartbeat is triggered by electrical impulses that travel down a special pathway through your heart. At rest, most people’s hearts beat about 50 to 70 times each minute. That rate slows at what’s referred to as peaceful rest. When you exercise, your body needs more oxygen-rich blood, and your heart rate increases to compensate.
In this white board session, Patrick J. Tchou, MD, Associate Section Head of the Section of Electrophysiology and Cardiac Pacing in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, takes a behind-the-scenes look at how your heart makes all of this happen.