Field Internship Student Data Acquisition Project (FISDAP) EMT Cardiology Practice Exam

The relationship between blood pressure and cardiac output is fundamentally linked to cardiovascular physiology. Cardiac output is defined as the volume of blood the heart pumps per minute and is calculated as the product of heart rate (the number of heartbeats per minute) and stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped with each heartbeat). This interdependence is crucial because an increase in cardiac output generally leads to an increase in blood pressure, assuming vascular resistance remains constant.

When the heart beats faster (higher heart rate) or pumps more blood with each beat (higher stroke volume), the total volume of blood circulating through the arteries increases, which tends to raise blood pressure. Therefore, understanding that cardiac output is the product of heart rate and stroke volume provides insight into how changes in these factors can influence blood pressure levels.

The other options do not accurately represent the physiological principles involved. For instance, the notion that cardiac output decreases blood pressure fails to recognize that increased cardiac output usually raises blood pressure. Additionally, suggesting that blood pressure has no relation to cardiac output overlooks the established link between these two cardiovascular parameters. Lastly, the idea that higher cardiac output always increases blood pressure is overly simplistic, as changes in peripheral resistance can affect this relationship. Therefore, understanding cardiac output as the product of heart