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Wenckebach's Discovery
- Karel Frederik Wenckebach, a Dutch anatomist and physician, noticed an unusual repeating pattern in a patient's pulse in the late 1800s.
- Due to color blindness, he shifted from pathology to cardiology, leading to this discovery using a smoked drum.
Wenckebach's Observation
- Wenckebach heart block involves a progressive delay between the A-wave of the jugular vein pulse and the carotid pulsation.
- This delay increases with each heartbeat until a dropped beat occurs, and the cycle repeats.
Role of the AV Node
- The AV node is crucial for Wenckebach heart block, as slower conduction leads to longer action potentials and depolarization during the relative refractory period.
- This prolongs the PR interval with each beat, eventually causing depolarization during the absolute refractory period and a dropped beat.