Regulation of Cardiac Output

MOST physicians are surprised to learn that the heart has relatively little effect on the normal regulation of cardiac output, but all the physician has to do is to look at his patients, and he will see that this is true. He will see a patient with mitral valvular disease whose heart has a maximum pumping ability no greater than one third normal, but at rest cardiac output is normal or almost normal. He will see a patient who has had a severe heart attack a day earlier but with a cardiac output now almost normal even though the maximum . . .