Lably
Skip to content

Bathmotropic

Agent affecting the excitability of the heart

  • 2 min read
  • 3 chapters

Explore on Lably

ToursExplore Lably’s 3D tours

While bathmotropic, as used herein, has been defined as pertaining to modification of the excitability of the heart, it can also refer to modification of the irritability of heart muscle, and the two terms are frequently used interchangeably.

History

In 1897 Engelmann introduced four Greek terms to describe key physiological properties of the heart: inotropy, the ability to contract; chronotropy, the ability to initiate an electrical impulse; dromotropy, the ability to conduct an electrical impulse; and bathmotropy, the ability to respond to direct mechanical stimulation. A fifth term, lusitropy, was introduced in 1982 when relaxation was recognized to be an active process, and not simply dissipation of the contractile event. In an article in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences, these five terms were described as the five fundamental properties of the heart.

Sign in to keep reading

2 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Human body

Anatomical terms of locationStandard terms for unambiguous description of relative placement of body partsPrefrontal cortexPart of the brain responsible for personality, decision-making, and social behaviorPubMedOnline biomedical databaseMucous membraneProtective layer that lines the interior of hollow organsNeuroimagingSet of techniques to measure and visualize aspects of the nervous systemNeuroscientistIndividual who studies neuroscience