Cardiac muscle, in vertebrates, one of three major muscle types, found only in the heart.

Cardiac
muscle is similar to skeletal muscle, another major muscle type, in that it possesses contractile units
known as sarcomeres; this feature, however, also distinguishes it from smooth muscle, the third
muscle type. Cardiac muscle differs from skeletal muscle in that it exhibits rhythmic contractions and
is not under voluntary control. The rhythmic contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by the
sinoatrial node of the heart, which serves as the heart’s pacemaker
The heart is made up of three layers
+pericardium : The pericardium is a fibrous sac surrounding the heart, consisting of the epicardium,
pericardial space, parietal pericardium, and fibrous pericardium.
+ myocardium: The cardiac muscle is responsible for the contractility of the heart and, therefore, the
pumping action. The cardiac muscle must contract with enough force and enough blood to supply the
metabolic demands of the entire body. This concept is termed cardiac output and is defined as heart
rate x stroke volume, which is determined by the contractile forces of the cardiac muscle and the
frequency at which they are activated
+ endocardium: The endocardium is not cardiac muscle and is comprised of simple squamous
epithelial cells and forms the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves.