Definition for Cardiac output
From Biology Forums Dictionary
Cardiac output is the volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute (mL blood/min). Cardiac output is a function of Heart rate and Stroke volume.
- Cardiac Output in mL/min = heart rate (beats/min) X stroke volume (mL/beat)
An average person has a resting heart rate of 70 beats/minute and a resting stroke volume of 70 mL/beat. The cardiac output for this person at rest is:
- Cardiac Output = 70 (beats/min) X 70 (mL/beat) = 4900 mL/minute.
The total volume of blood in the circulatory system of an average person is about 5 liters (5000 mL). According to our calculations, the entire volume of blood within the circulatory sytem is pumped by the heart each minute (at rest). During vigorous exercise, the cardiac output can increase up to 7 fold (35 liters/minute)