PACEMAKER CELL

LOCATION

• This cell is located in the heart

JOB

• This cell directly controls the heart rate
• It does this by sending a signal to the heart that makes it beat

COULD YOU SURVIVE WITHOUT IT ?

• Plants do not need the pacemaker cell to survive
• Animals though would not be able to survive without this cell because it makes the heart pump

SIZE OF THE CELL

• The size of the pacemaker cell is 100 micrometers in length and 15-20 micrometers in diameter

DOES THE SHAPE HELP THE CELL FUNCTION?

• The shape of the cell does matter because the long stems send signals to the heart to make it pump

DOES THE CELL INTERACT WITH OTHER CELLS

• Cardiac muscle cells
• Pacemaker cells send signals to the cardiac muscle cells to allow the heart to beat

WHAT DISEASES CAN AFFECT THE CELL

• Cardiac arrhythmias can cause block in the heart In humans a device called an artificial pacemaker can be used to produce these impulses synthetically.

WHAT MAKES THIS CELL DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CELLS

• This cell is different from other cells because the pacemaker cell sends signals to the heart to pump it unlike the red blood cell that carries oxygen and the white blood cell that fights infection

FUN FACT

• The smallest artificial pacemaker in the world is the size of a vitamin pill

SOURCES

• http://www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/pacemakers/our...
• https://academic.oup.com/bja/article/95/4/465/302714
• https://socratic.org/questions/where-are-the-pacemaker-cells-located-in-the...
• http://www.annclinlabsci.org/content/33/2/237.full.pdf