Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 15, 2026

In vitro Assessment of Cardiac Reprogramming by Measuring Cardiac Specific Calcium Flux with a GCaMP3 Reporter
05:04

In vitro Assessment of Cardiac Reprogramming by Measuring Cardiac Specific Calcium Flux with a GCaMP3 Reporter

Published on: February 22, 2022

3.8K

The Ratio Fallacy, with Special Reference to the Cardiac Index

Julien I E Hoffman1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of California, 925 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, San Francisco, CA, 94920, USA. jiehoffman@gmail.com.

Pediatric Cardiology
|February 2, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac index calculations can be inaccurate for infants. Determining z values is a more reliable method for evaluating cardiac output in children of all sizes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Cardiac output is frequently normalized to body surface area (BSA) using the cardiac index for comparisons.
  • The cardiac index may introduce significant errors when assessing cardiac output in small infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the limitations of the cardiac index in pediatric populations.
  • To propose an alternative method for evaluating cardiac output in children.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing methodologies for cardiac output assessment in pediatrics.
  • Analysis of the accuracy of cardiac index versus z values for different pediatric age groups.

Main Results:

  • The cardiac index demonstrates potential for large errors in small infants.
  • Z values provide a more accurate and reliable assessment of cardiac output across diverse pediatric sizes.

Conclusions:

  • The use of z values is recommended for evaluating cardiac output in children, particularly infants.
  • Relying on the cardiac index for neonates and small infants may lead to misinterpretations of cardiovascular status.

Keywords:
Body surface areaCardiac indexCardiac output

More Related Videos

A Net Mold-based Method of Scaffold-free Three-Dimensional Cardiac Tissue Creation06:57

A Net Mold-based Method of Scaffold-free Three-Dimensional Cardiac Tissue Creation

Published on: August 5, 2018

9.5K
Visualization of Streptococcus pneumoniae within Cardiac Microlesions and Subsequent Cardiac Remodeling08:25

Visualization of Streptococcus pneumoniae within Cardiac Microlesions and Subsequent Cardiac Remodeling

Published on: April 7, 2015

9.5K

Related Concept Videos

Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles01:27

Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles

The primary role of cardiac muscles is to propel blood throughout the cardiovascular system. The cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, exhibit specialized characteristics that allow them to perform this function.
Cardiac muscle cells are smaller than skeletal muscles, averaging 10–20 mm in diameter and 50–100 mm in length. However, they have large energy demands for continuous contraction and relaxation. This energy is almost exclusively derived from aerobic metabolism of energy...
4.3K
Special Staining Techniques01:13

Special Staining Techniques

Specialized staining techniques play a vital role in microbiology by enabling the visualization of specific bacterial structures that remain undetectable with standard microscopy methods. These techniques not only enhance the structural visualization of bacterial cells but also provide critical insights into their pathogenicity and classification. Additionally, they support diagnostic and research endeavors in microbiology by identifying key bacterial features.Capsule Staining for Virulence...
1.3K
Inertial Frames of Reference01:03

Inertial Frames of Reference

Newton’s first law is usually considered to be a statement about reference frames. It provides a method for identifying a special type of reference frame: the inertial reference frame. In principle, we can make the net force on a body zero. If its velocity relative to a given frame is constant, then that frame is said to be inertial. So, by definition, an inertial reference frame is a reference frame where Newton's first law holds valid. Newton's first law applies to objects with...
8.9K
Non-inertial Frames of Reference01:27

Non-inertial Frames of Reference

A reference frame accelerating or decelerating relative to an inertial frame is a non-inertial frame. To help understand this, consider what taking off in an airplane, turning a corner in a car, riding a merry-go-round, and the circular motion of a tropical cyclone all have in common. All these systems are accelerating, decelerating, or rotating relative to the Earth; hence, they all are non-inertial frames. All these systems exhibit inertial forces, which merely seem to arise from motion,...
7.3K
Introduction to Special Senses01:26

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive...
7.7K
Poisson's Ratio01:23

Poisson's Ratio

Poisson's ratio is a material property that indicates their stress response. It explains the connection between the elongation or compression a material undergoes in the direction of an applied force and the contraction or expansion it experiences perpendicular to that force. When a slender bar is loaded axially, it stretches in the direction of the force and contracts laterally. Poisson's ratio is the negative ratio of this lateral contraction to the axial elongation. The negative sign...
1.4K