A simple analogy comparing cardiac output with the speed of a bicycle helps explain the effects of various disease processes and interventions on heart rate, contractility, preload, and afterload.
Cardiac output is the amount of blood the heart pumps in 1 minute, and it is dependent on the heart rate, contractility, preload, and afterload. Understanding of the applicability and practical relevance of each of these four components is important when interpreting cardiac output values. In the present article, we use a simple analogy comparing cardiac output with the speed of a bicycle to help appreciate better the effects of various disease processes and interventions on cardiac output and its four components.
Jean‐Louis Vincent (Tue,) conducted a review in Cardiac output. A simple analogy comparing cardiac output with the speed of a bicycle helps explain the effects of various disease processes and interventions on heart rate, contractility, preload, and afterload.
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