Question

The three variables which measure the efficiency of the cardiac cycle and the heart’s pumping activity are

• A. Systole
• B. Pulse
• C. Blood pressure
• D. Cardiac output

Answer 1

Answer: (B), (C), (D)

Cardiac output

The 3 variables which measure the efficiency of the cardiac cycle and the heart’s pumping activity are blood pressure, cardiac output, and pulse. By definition,

• Pulse is the rhythmic dilation of an artery because of the beating of the heart.
• Blood pressure is the pressure of the circulating blood on the walls of the blood vessels. It is expressed as systolic pressure by diastolic pressure.
• Cardiac output is the amount of blood pumped out of a ventricle per minute.

Systole is not a variable but the phase of a heartbeat where the heart muscles contract and pump blood out from the chamber.