Definition

1. Noun:
   • The volume of blood pumped by the heart per unit of time: Specifically, it is the amount of blood the ventricles eject into the circulatory system over a given period, typically measured in liters per minute.

Usage

• Cardiac output is a key physiological measurement in medicine and biology, indicating the heart's efficiency in delivering oxygen and nutrients to the body.
• It is calculated as the product of heart rate (beats per minute) and stroke volume (volume of blood pumped per beat).

Examples

• The patient's low cardiac output was a primary concern for the medical team.
• Exercise training can increase an individual's cardiac output.
• Cardiac output must be maintained during surgery to ensure adequate organ perfusion.

Advanced Usage

• "To measure cardiac output": To determine the volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute, often using specialized medical techniques.
  • The doctors needed to measure the patient's cardiac output to guide treatment.
• "High/Low cardiac output": Describing states where the volume of blood pumped is above or below normal expected ranges.
  • Heart failure can lead to a state of low cardiac output.

Variants and Related Words

• Cardiac index: A more precise measurement that adjusts cardiac output for the individual's body surface area.
• Stroke volume: The amount of blood pumped by a ventricle in a single contraction, a direct component of cardiac output.
• Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per minute, the other direct component of cardiac output.

Synonyms

• Heart output: A less common but direct synonym.
• Pump output: A technical synonym sometimes used in clinical contexts.

Related Phrases

• Cardiac output monitoring: The continuous or intermittent measurement of cardiac output, often in critical care settings.
  • The patient in the ICU was under cardiac output monitoring.
• Cardiac output curve: A graphical representation showing the relationship between cardiac output and other factors like atrial pressure.

Noun

1. the amount of blood pumped out by the ventricles in a given period of time
   • a resting adult has a cardiac output of about three quarts a minute