Methods in pharmacology: measurement of cardiac output

Bart F Geerts1, Leon P Aarts, Jos R Jansen

  • 1Departments of Anaesthesiology Intensive Care Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands. b.f.geerts@lumc.nl

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Cardiac output (CO) refers to the total amount of blood ejected by one of the ventricles in liters per minute (L/min). In a resting adult, CO ranges from 5 to 6 L/min, adjusting according to the body's metabolic requirements.
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Cardiac output (CO) is an integral aspect of human physiology, reflecting the heart's efficiency and responsiveness to the body's needs. It represents the volume of blood that the left or right ventricle ejects into the aorta or pulmonary trunk each minute. The CO is calculated by multiplying the heart rate (HR)—the number of heartbeats per minute—by the stroke volume (SV)—the amount of blood pumped out with each heartbeat.
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