Cardiac Output
Cardiac output, product of stroke volume and heart rate; it is the amount of blood ejected from the heart within one minute.
The cardiac output is a measure of the delivery rate of the heart and is 4-6 litres at rest, with a working capacity of up to 35 litres. The cardiac output per minute is determined by the heart rate and contractility on the one hand and the blood supply to the heart (preload) and the peripheral resistance (afterload) on the other. All these factors are in turn influenced by the sympathicus, whereby a higher sympathetic activity increases blood pressure through a higher cardiac output.