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Definition of Cardiac output
1. Noun. The amount of blood pumped out by the ventricles in a given period of time. "A resting adult has a cardiac output of about three quarts a minute"
Medical Definition of Cardiac output
1. A measurement of the blood flow through the heart to the systemic (and pulmonary) circulation. Cardiac output is expressed as volume of blood per unit time or litres/minute. Cardiac output can be calculated using the Fick method (oxygen consumption divided by arteriovenous oxygen difference) or by the thermodilution technique, using a Swan-Ganz catheter. (27 Sep 1997)