Circuit

Engineering definition

The closed loop through which a substance travels. A source of energy, such as a generator or solar cell or the chemical reaction within a battery, produces voltage that motivates electrons to flow through copper wires or other conductors in an electrical circuit producing a current that can transfer energy when it meets resistance, such as that of the filaments of a lightbulb.

In biomedical engineering, cardiovascular flow is also described as a circuit. Blood is pumped from the heart, through vessels offering differing resistances to flow, and eventually back to the heart. Resistances are modeled in the same manner as in an electrical circuit, and similar equations and concepts can be used to model the flow.

Medical definition

The circular pathways through which electrical currents, anesthesia, or neuronal impulses travel. In cardiology, it refers to the reentry circuit, which is the return of an electrical impulse to the same region of myocardial tissue it recently activated, producing ectopic beats or tachycardia.

Confusion

The concept of electrical circuits should be well understood by both groups of professionals. However, it is possible that the alternate uses could cause confusion when discussing the heart.