Define cardiac output. - OCR - GCSE Physical Education - Question 20 - 2020 - Paper 1

Cardiac output is defined as the volume of blood that the heart pumps per minute. It is a key physiological parameter used to assess the heart's efficiency and overall cardiovascular health. It can be calculated using the formula:

$$ext{Cardiac Output} = ext{Stroke Volume} imes ext{Heart Rate}$$

Where:

• Stroke Volume is the amount of blood ejected by the heart with each beat.
• Heart Rate is the number of heartbeats per minute.

Cardiac output is typically expressed in liters per minute (L/min).