Physiology of the normal heart

The heart is a dynamic organ that beats >2.5 billion times in the average lifetime. Humankind's fascination for its complex yet elegant physiology can be traced as far back as the ancient Egyptians, who first documented the association between abnormalities in the peripheral pulse and the heart. Several thousand years later, in the 17th century, an English physician named William Harvey provided a more comprehensive interpretation of the mechanisms of the systemic circulation. A sound grasp of cardiovascular physiology is pertinent to the understanding of many of the pathophysiological processes in the body and is thus an essential for all aspiring physicians. In this article, we discuss the basic physiological, electrophysiological and haemodynamic concepts of the heart.