Why Does Tetany Not Occur in Cardiac Muscle

question 114

Multiple Choice

Why does tetany not occur in cardiac muscle?

• A)Tetany does not occur because the sarcoplasmic reticulum in cardiac muscle does not hold as much calcium for maximum sustained contractions.
• B)Tetany does not occur because the gap junctions in cardiac muscle prevent the sustained contraction.
• C)Tetany does not occur because cardiac muscle has a long refractory period that continues until relaxation is well under way so summation cannot occur,and thus tetany cannot occur.
• D)Tetany does not occur because cardiac muscle cells are branched instead of lying in parallel fibers like skeletal muscle.
• E)Tetany does not occur because the depolarizations in cardiac muscle are not sufficient to cause the formation of action potentials.