Cardiac Output (Nursing)

00:01 So now let's look at what the blood in the heart is actually doing.

00:06 So cardiac output is the volume of blood that is pumped by each ventricle in one minute.

00:13 Normally this volume is about 5.25 liters per minute.

00:20 We measure cardiac output by measuring the heart rate and multiplying it by the stroke volume.

00:28 The heart rate is the number of heartbeats per minute and the stroke volume is the volume of blood that is pumped out by the ventricle with each heartbeat.

00:42 So how do we regulate this? Maximum cardiac output is usually 4 to 5 times that of resting cardiac output in a non-athletic person.

00:55 However, in some trained athletes, our maximum cardiac output can go up to as much as 35 liters per minute.

01:06 Also in the heart, we have something called the cardiac reserve.

01:11 This is the difference between a resting cardiac output and the maximal cardiac output of an individual.

01:20 Our cardiac output is going to change if either the stroke volume or the heart rate change.

01:27 Remember, it's the stroke volume times at heart rate so if either one of those changes whether it be up or down, that is going to affect your cardiac output.

01:40 Cardiac output is going to be affected by factors that lead to the regulation of stroke volume as well as the regulation of our heart rate.