Understanding cardiac output

Jean-Louis Vincent, Jean-Louis Vincent

Abstract

Cardiac output is the amount of blood the heart pumps in 1 minute, and it is dependent on the heart rate, contractility, preload, and afterload. Understanding of the applicability and practical relevance of each of these four components is important when interpreting cardiac output values. In the present article, we use a simple analogy comparing cardiac output with the speed of a bicycle to help appreciate better the effects of various disease processes and interventions on cardiac output and its four components.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Four determinants of cardiac output, using an analogy to the speed of a bicycle.

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