The Cardiac Action Potential

About the lecture

In the first mini-lecture, we introduce the cardiac action potential. To do so, we begin by looking at the mechanism of a general action potential involving potassium, sodium, calcium and chloride ions. We look at the individual stages by investigating a graph looking at the voltage across a nervous membrane over time. We talk about the point of stimulus, followed by depolarization and repolarization, the refractory period and the resting state. Doing so helps us compare the general action potential with the cardiac action potential, and the movement of ions throughout the stages of depolarization and rapid repolarization.

About the lecturer

Ms Aarushi Agrawal is an FY1 Junior Doctor at East Kent Hospitals. She is a graduate from GKT, King’s College London (2021) with intercalated BSc degree in Global Health (2018). Her current interests are in Anaesthetics, Intensive Care Medicine and Medical Education.