The amount of blood pumped through the ventricles is known as:

The amount of blood pumped through the ventricles is known as:

• A. Pulmonary vascular resistance
• B. Cardiac index
• C. Cardiac output
• D. Stroke volume

Answer: (C)

The amount of blood pumped through the ventricles per minute is cardiac output. This measures the heart’s total pumping capacity and is calculated by multiplying how much blood is ejected with each beat (stroke volume) by how many beats occur each minute (heart rate). So cardiac output = stroke volume × heart rate. Stroke volume alone is the amount ejected per beat, not per minute. Cardiac index adjusts cardiac output for body size, while pulmonary vascular resistance describes the pressure the right ventricle must overcome in the lungs, not the total volume pumped.

The amount of blood pumped through the ventricles per minute is cardiac output. This measures the heart’s total pumping capacity and is calculated by multiplying how much blood is ejected with each beat (stroke volume) by how many beats occur each minute (heart rate). So cardiac output = stroke volume × heart rate. Stroke volume alone is the amount ejected per beat, not per minute. Cardiac index adjusts cardiac output for body size, while pulmonary vascular resistance describes the pressure the right ventricle must overcome in the lungs, not the total volume pumped.