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In the determination of cardiac output, the substance most commonly measured is the oxygen content of blood thus giving the arteriovenous oxygen difference, and the flow calculated is the flow across the pulmonary system. This gives a simple way to calculate the cardiac output: [citation needed]
Major factors influencing cardiac output – heart rate and stroke volume, both of which are variable. [1]In cardiac physiology, cardiac output (CO), also known as heart output and often denoted by the symbols , ˙, or ˙, [2] is the volumetric flow rate of the heart's pumping output: that is, the volume of blood being pumped by a single ventricle of the heart, per unit time (usually measured ...
Here Q is the cardiac output of the heart, C a O 2 is the arterial oxygen content, and C v O 2 is the venous oxygen content. (C a O 2 – C v O 2) is also known as the arteriovenous oxygen difference. The Fick equation may be used to measure V̇O 2 in critically ill patients, but its usefulness is low even in non-exerted cases. [8]
The rise of volume is the main therapy elected to improve oxygen delivery. However, approximately, only 50% of subjects respond to fluids by increasing SV. The treatment of non-responsive patients can promote deleterious effects in the pulmonary system due to the increase in extravascular fluid.
In order to do so oxygen consumption (VO 2) may be measured using a spirometer to detect gaseous concentrations in exhaled air compared to inhaled air, while cardiac output can be determined using a Doppler ultrasound. [3] Arterial blood will generally contain an oxygen concentration of around 20 mL/100 mL. [1]
Cardiomyopathy and heart failure cause a reduction in cardiac output, whereas infection and sepsis are known to increase cardiac output. Hence, the ability to accurately measure CO is important in physiology, as it provides for improved diagnosis of abnormalities, and can be used to guide the development of new treatment strategies.
Perfusionists, also called cardiac or cardiopulmonary perfusionists, specialize in operating and recording the output of a cardiopulmonary bypass machine, also known as a heart-lung machine.
Justification for its continued use rests on a large body of clinical experience, disadvantages of other cardiac output monitoring systems, its ability to accurately measure pulmonary artery pressure, and the potential to use the catheter as a direct conduit for drug administration into the pulmonary artery.