Mechanisms of Contraction of the Normal and Failing Heart

Abstract

THE function of the heart is to propel unoxygenated blood to the lungs and to deliver oxygenated blood to the peripheral tissues in accordance with their metabolic requirements. Since William Harvey's discovery of the pumping action of the heart, physiologists have asked two fundamental questions concerning the contraction of the heart: what are the events that constitute a normal cardiac contraction, and how are these events controlled so that the normal heart can adjust its performance almost instantly to meet the rapidly varying requirements of the peripheral tissues? The clinician has added a third question: how are these events disturbed . . .