Why Can't Tetany of the Heart Occur

question 48

Multiple Choice

Why can't tetany of the heart occur?

• A) there are no distinct motor units in the heart.
• B) there is inadequate oxygen supply via the coronary circulation to metabolically support a sustained contraction.
• C) the refractory period in cardiac muscle lasts almost as long as the duration of the resultant contraction.
• D) the heart contracts with maximal force every beat so it is impossible to increase the strength of cardiac contraction.
• E) vagal stimulation slows down the heart rate to prevent summation of contractions.

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Definitions:

Imaginary Unit

A mathematical concept represented by \(i\), used to describe the square root of -1, fundamental in complex number theory.

Standard Form

In mathematics, standard form can refer to a way of writing numbers using the digits 0-9, with each digit having a place value. In the context of linear equations, it refers to Ax + By = C, where A, B, and C are integers.

Complex Numbers

A number that can be expressed in the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is the imaginary unit, satisfying the equation i^2 = -1.

Imaginary Unit

A mathematical constant represented as i, which is the square root of -1.