Cardiac output is defined as the amount of blood the heart pumps per minute. If a client has a stroke volume of 70 mL and a heart rate of 80 beats per minute, what is the cardiac output?
- A.5,200 mL/min
- B.5,600 mL/min
- C.6,400 mL/min
- D.4,800 mL/min
Show answer & rationale
Correct answer
B. 5,600 mL/min
Rationale
B is correct: Cardiac output = stroke volume × heart rate = 70 mL × 80 bpm = 5,600 mL/min (5.6 L/min). This is within the normal resting range of approximately 4-8 L/min. A is incorrect: 5,200 mL/min = 70 × 74.3, which does not match the given values. C is incorrect: 6,400 mL/min = 80 × 80, incorrectly squaring the heart rate. D is incorrect: 4,800 mL/min = 60 × 80, using an incorrect stroke volume of 60 mL.
Key concepts
Cardiac output formulaStroke volumeHeart rate