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Discussion

SA Node (decreasing)

In one of my nursing text books it states that the number of pacemaker cells "decrease" in the heart (due to age - older adults) . Its states that the cardiac functions decrease due to calcification due to lipid accumulation and fibrosis. However, I seem to read in the material that the pacemaker cells are decreasing such as "disappearing". Is that what happens as we age?

I have seen physicians perform cardiac ablation procedures.

I also understand that certain drugs can effect the SA node, including certain diseases causing physiological changes.

But what would actually make the pacemaker cells (SA Node) decrease? Or am I not understanding what the book is meaning about decreasing?

Thank you for your time.

-Crew2Nursing

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    I have never heard of that but you've peaked my curiosity. What book?

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    Fundamentals of Nursing - Potter/Perry/Stockert

    However, this came from inside (Linton and Lach, 2007)

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    Cells in general don't really decrease as we age, but they do lose normal function. So if we're talking about a decrease in properly functioning SA node cells then that probably is accurate. Various cell types in the heart don't regenerate as frequently as other common cells in the body such as skin cells, but they do replace themselves over time, which likely results in the same shortened telomere effect that results in impaired cells elsewhere in the body.

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