Cardiac Output is the volume of blood the heart pumps per minute.

Cardiac Output is the volume of blood the heart pumps per minute.

• A. Cardiac Output
• B. Stroke Volume
• C. Heart Rate
• D. Blood Volume

Answer: (A)

Cardiac output is the amount of blood the heart pumps per unit time. It’s a rate, usually measured in liters per minute, and it equals stroke volume (the amount ejected with each beat) multiplied by heart rate (beats per minute). The statement given matches this definition. Stroke volume alone is per beat, heart rate alone is per minute but not the total volume, and blood volume is the total amount of blood in the system, not the flow. For example, if each beat ejects about 70 mL and the heart beats 70 times per minute, cardiac output is about 4.9 L per minute.

Cardiac output is the amount of blood the heart pumps per unit time. It’s a rate, usually measured in liters per minute, and it equals stroke volume (the amount ejected with each beat) multiplied by heart rate (beats per minute). The statement given matches this definition. Stroke volume alone is per beat, heart rate alone is per minute but not the total volume, and blood volume is the total amount of blood in the system, not the flow. For example, if each beat ejects about 70 mL and the heart beats 70 times per minute, cardiac output is about 4.9 L per minute.