common a. canal — a congenital cardiac defect in which both sides of the heart share the same atrioventricular orifice. Called also persistent atrioventricular canal, atrioventricularis communis.
a. node — a mass of cardiac muscle fibers (Purkinje fibers) lying on the right lower part of the interatrial septum of the heart. Its function is the transmission of the cardiac impulse from the sinoatrial node to the muscular walls of the ventricles. The conductive system is organized so that transmission is slightly delayed at the atrioventricular node, thus allowing time for the atria to empty their contents into the ventricles before the ventricles begin to contract.
partitioning a. canal — during embryological development partitioning of the cardiac chambers and their orifices may be incomplete, leading to fatal cardiac defects, e.g. persistent atrioventricular chamber.
a. stenosis — left and right atrioventricular stenosis are recorded; the former is an acyanotic defect, the latter is more serious and a cyanotic defect.
a. valvular disease — may be identifiable on finding of systolic murmur (incompetent valve) or diastolic murmur (stenotic valve) over the apex of the heart with maximum audibility over the left or right sides, depending on the side involved.
Wenckebach a. block — see Mobitz atrioventricular heart block.