Definition
- Cardiac output is the volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute
- CO = Heart Rate x Stroke Volume
- CI = CO / body surface area
Methods
- Echocardiography with Dopplers
- Thermodilution (historical)
- 10cc room temperature saline injected into proximal pot
- Thermistor at tip measures temperature change over time
- Repeat 3 times within 10% of each other
- Unreliable with ASV/VSD/PFO or TR
- Fick equation (historical)
- Uses spirometry and VO2 measurements
- VO2 / (k x Hgb x (arterial O2 sat - PA sat)
