What is the Difference Between Bundle of His and Purkinje Fibres?

The Bundle of His and Purkinje fibers are both components of the cardiac conduction system, which coordinates the contraction of the heart muscles. However, they have distinct roles and characteristics:

Bundle of His:

• A heart muscle that takes part in electrical conduction in the heart.
• Transmits electrical impulses created by the atrioventricular node (AV node) to the apex of the heart.
• Branched into both the right and left bundle branches of the heart, running through the interventricular septum.
• Named after Swiss cardiologist Wilhelm His Jr. who discovered it in 1893.

Purkinje Fibers:

• Branched fibers that carry the electrical impulse to the ventricles.
• Located in the heart's ventricular walls, below the endocardium.
• Specialized for rapid impulse conduction, having many gap junctions and wide diameters.
• Named after Czech anatomist Jan Evangelista Purkyně who discovered it.

In summary, the Bundle of His is responsible for transmitting electrical impulses from the AV node to the apex of the heart, while Purkinje fibers are responsible for carrying the electrical impulse to the ventricles for contraction.

Comparative Table: Bundle of His vs Purkinje Fibres

The Bundle of His and Purkinje fibers are both part of the heart's electrical conduction system, but they have distinct differences and functions:

The Bundle of His is responsible for transmitting the electrical signals from the atria to the ventricles, while the Purkinje fibers carry the electrical impulse to the ventricles, causing them to contract and relax. To summarize, the Bundle of His transmits the electrical signal, and the Purkinje fibers receive and conduct the signal to the ventricles, resulting in contraction of the heart muscles.