Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Anatomy, Thorax, Cardiac Muscle

Anthony Saxton  1 , Muhammad Ali Tariq  2 , Bruno Bordoni  3
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Anatomy, Thorax, Cardiac Muscle

Anthony Saxton et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Cardiac muscle (or myocardium) makes up the thick middle layer of the heart. It is one of three types of muscle in the body, along with skeletal and smooth muscle. The myocardium is surrounded by a thin outer layer called the epicardium (AKA visceral pericardium) and an inner endocardium. Coronary arteries supply to the cardiac muscle, and cardiac veins drain this blood. Cardiomyocytes are the individual cells that make up the cardiac muscle. The primary function of cardiomyocytes is to contract, which generates the pressure needed to pump blood through the circulatory system.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Anthony Saxton declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Muhammad Ali Tariq declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Bruno Bordoni declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Tran DB, Weber C, Lopez RA. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): 2024. Jun 22, Anatomy, Thorax, Heart Muscles. - PubMed
    1. Mollova M, Bersell K, Walsh S, Savla J, Das LT, Park SY, Silberstein LE, Dos Remedios CG, Graham D, Colan S, Kühn B. Cardiomyocyte proliferation contributes to heart growth in young humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jan 22;110(4):1446-51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Di Maio A, Karko K, Snopko RM, Mejía-Alvarez R, Franzini-Armstrong C. T-tubule formation in cardiacmyocytes: two possible mechanisms? J Muscle Res Cell Motil. 2007;28(4-5):231-41. - PubMed
    1. Sallé L, Brette F. T-tubules: a key structure of cardiac function and dysfunction. Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss. 2007 Mar;100(3):225-30. - PubMed
    1. Giacomelli E, Mummery CL, Bellin M. Human heart disease: lessons from human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2017 Oct;74(20):3711-3739. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources