Cardiac Output Calculator

About this calculator

Cardiac output (CO) is the volume of blood the heart pumps per minute, calculated with the simple relationship CO = heart rate × stroke volume, where stroke volume is the blood ejected per heartbeat (typically measured or estimated in mL and reported as CO in liters per minute). A healthy resting adult has a CO of roughly 4 to 8 L/min, though the value rises with exercise, fever, or pregnancy and falls in conditions like heart failure or shock.

This is the same relationship underlying the clinical Fick principle and thermodilution methods used to measure cardiac output invasively, just with stroke volume supplied directly rather than derived. ICU and cardiac nurses, anesthesiologists, and cardiologists use cardiac output estimates to monitor how well a patient's circulation is meeting the body's demands during surgery, critical illness, or heart failure management.