Cardiac output

Cardiac output (CO, also denoted by the symbols and ), is a term used in cardiac physiology that describes the volume of blood being pumped by the heart, in particular by a left or right ventricle, per unit time. CO values can be represented using many physical units, such as dm3/min and L/min. Because cardiac output is related to the quantity of blood delivered to various parts of the body, it is an important indicator of how efficiently the heart can meet the demands of the body. For instance, infections are correlated with high CO and heart failure with low CO.

Cardiac output

Cardiac output (CO, also denoted by the symbols and ), is a term used in cardiac physiology that describes the volume of blood being pumped by the heart, in particular by a left or right ventricle, per unit time. CO values can be represented using many physical units, such as dm3/min and L/min. Because cardiac output is related to the quantity of blood delivered to various parts of the body, it is an important indicator of how efficiently the heart can meet the demands of the body. For instance, infections are correlated with high CO and heart failure with low CO.