Cardiac output
NCLEX-RN glossary · Physiological Adaptation
Definition
The volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute, determined by the product of heart rate and stroke volume.
Cardiac output in plain English
The primary indicator of systemic tissue perfusion; the RN must assess for cues of low output to prevent shock progression. The tempting mistake is assuming adequate perfusion exists based solely on a normal heart rate when the stroke volume is critically diminished.
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