title: Understanding cardiac output.
abstract: Cardiac output is the amount of blood the heart pumps in 1 minute, and it is dependent on the heart rate, contractility, preload, and afterload. Understanding of the applicability and practical relevance of each of these four components is important when interpreting cardiac output values. In the present article, we use a simple analogy comparing cardiac output with the speed of a bicycle to help appreciate better the effects of various disease processes and interventions on cardiac output and its four components.
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vincent
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1989 Aug 3;321(5):280-7
references.pmid: 2664516
references.citation: Anesth Analg. 2001 Jul;93(1):7-13
references.pmid: 11429329
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1992 Sep 3;327(10):685-91
references.pmid: 1463530
references.citation: Lancet. 1990 Jul 7;336(8706):1-6
references.pmid: 1694945
references.citation: Br Heart J. 1994 Sep;72(3):226-30
references.pmid: 7946771
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1991 Nov 21;325(21):1468-75
references.pmid: 1944425
references.citation: Am J Physiol. 1982 Feb;242(2):H191-6
references.pmid: 7065151
references.citation: J Mol Cell Cardiol. 1985 Apr;17(4):317-38
references.pmid: 3894677
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1986 Jun 12;314(24):1547-52
references.pmid: 3520315
references.citation: J Mol Cell Cardiol. 1985 Apr;17(4):291-306
references.pmid: 3894676
references.citation: Chest. 2001 Sep;120(3):989-1002
references.pmid: 11555538
references.citation: Ann Surg. 1979 Apr;189(4):439-41
references.pmid: 443898
references.citation: Circ Res. 1994 Aug;75(2):285-95
references.pmid: 7518362