ABSTRACT
There is an inherent beauty to the cardiac conduction system. Its journey to creation is a remarkably complex process beginning in the second week of embryological development. By birth, there is a mature network of conduction tissue responsible for initiating and maintaining the cardiac heartbeat. Abnormalities in cardiogenesis, which result in congenital heart defects, produce various conduction system anomalies. Cardiologists, electrophysiologists, and surgeons must have an in-depth knowledge of the cardiac conduction system in normal and congenital hearts. In the following chapter, we provide insight into this complexity as we discuss the embryological origins and morphological aspects of the conduction system in both normal hearts and those with congenital heart defects.
