Cardiac index measures the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle per minute and is useful in diagnosing and treating heart problems. It is used to understand the effects of medical procedures and conditions like obesity on the heart.
A cardiac index is a system used to measure cardiac output, or the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle each minute. This system is useful in helping diagnose and treat a wide range of heart problems when used in conjunction with other tools. To calculate a patient’s cardiac index, a doctor takes the amount of blood pumped per minute in liters and divides it by the patient’s body surface area (BSA).
One reason to use this index to measure heart function is to better understand the effects of certain medical procedures on the heart. Measurements can be taken during a procedure to note any changes in cardiac index and other factors to get a clear picture of how stressful a surgery or procedure is on the heart. This is especially useful during heart surgeries, mainly bypass surgeries.
To get an accurate reading, the cardiac index score is typically taken before the start of a procedure and then during or after the procedure at certain intervals. A normal heart with adequate cardiac activity pumps about 5 or 6 liters (5.28 or 6.34 quarts) of blood through the body every minute while the person is at rest. More or less than this can cause serious problems in the body. Cardiac output more or less than necessary is also known as high or low blood pressure.
Professionals can also study the effects of certain medical conditions or stressors on a person’s cardiac index reading. Obesity, for example, is a major topic of study because the recent epidemics in many of the world’s industrialized nations are taking a toll on the health of the general population. Unfortunately, because the problem of widespread obesity is a fairly recent development, the long-term effects of extreme weight gain have not been fully studied. Using this index on those with high BSA values is a good way to measure the effects of extra weight on the heart and to determine how much excess weight is needed to create serious problems.
Cardiac index, combined with other diagnostic equipment, is an effective way to determine overall heart health. Doctors also get a better perspective of the effects of surgery and other procedures on certain types of patients. These include morbid obesity, those with certain existing heart conditions and those with other serious ailments.
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