Cardiac output can be calculated using which formula?

The correct choice is based on the understanding of how cardiac output is defined and measured in the body. Cardiac output refers to the amount of blood that the heart pumps in a minute, and it is determined by two key factors: the stroke volume and the heart rate.

The formula for cardiac output is expressed as stroke volume multiplied by heart rate. Stroke volume is the amount of blood ejected by the heart with each beat, and heart rate is the number of beats per minute. Therefore, by multiplying these two components, you get the total volume of blood the heart pumps in one minute, which is crucial in evaluating the efficiency of the cardiovascular system.

Other options do not accurately reflect the relationship between blood volume, blood pressure, or oxygen saturation and cardiac output:

• Heart rate x Blood volume does not account for stroke volume, which is essential for calculating cardiac output.

• Blood pressure x Stroke volume would not yield cardiac output directly, as blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, not a direct measure of the heart's pumping capacity.

• Heart rate x Oxygen saturation is not relevant to cardiac output calculation, as oxygen saturation measures the percentage of hemoglobin binding sites in the bloodstream occupied by oxygen.