CARDIO USMLE step 2 NOTES

Cardiac Output

Cardiac output, also known as heart output denoted by the symbols Q or Qc is a term used in cardiac
physiology that describes the volume of blood being pumped by the heart, by the left and right ventricle,
per unit time. Cardiac output (CO) is the product of the heart rate (HR), i.e. the number of heartbeats
per minute (bpm), and the stroke volume (SV), which is the volume of blood pumped from the ventricle
per beat; thus,

CO = SV * HR

Stroke volume (SV)

In cardiovascular physiology, stroke volume (SV) is the volume of blood pumped from the left ventricle
per beat. Stroke volume is calculated using measurements of ventricle volumes from an echocardiogram
and subtracting the volume of the blood in the ventricle at the end of a beat (called end-systolic
volume ) from the volume of blood just prior to the beat (called end-diastolic volume). The term stroke
volume can apply to each of the two ventricles of the heart, although it usually refers to the left
ventricle. The stroke volumes for each ventricle are generally equal, both being approximately 70 mL in a
healthy 70-kg man.

Heart Rate (HR)

Heart rate, also known as pulse, is the number of times a person's heart beats per min.

HR (normal or tachycardia vs. bradycardia)

(1) Normal adult HR is 60 to 100 bpm

(2) HR <60 bpm is bradycardia

(3) HR >100 bpm is tachycardia

The Fick principle

The Fick principle states that blood flow to an organ can be calculated using a marker substance if the
following information is known:

Amount of marker substance taken up by the organ per unit time

Concentration of marker substance in arterial blood supplying the organ

Concentration of marker substance in venous blood leaving the organ

Developed by Adolf Eugen Fick (1829–1901), the Fick principle has been applied to the measurement of
cardiac output.