The Absolute Refractory Period refers to the period of time needed between stitches to allow the sample's neurons to reset. Stitching into a subject a second time is impossible until the absolute refractory period has lapsed, which can vary with each subject and each stitch. The time period can vary between five and twelve hours or more. The refractory period is said to be determined by the potassium transfer rate between cells. The term is first used in Friends in Low Places but also is mentioned in the episodes Connection, The Root of All Evil and Fire in the Hole.
Trivia[]
Merrian Webster defines the very real absolute refractory period as "the period immediately following the firing of a nerve fiber when it cannot be stimulated no matter how great a stimulus is applied." [1]