Decreased cardiac output

The healthy heart and healthy cardiovascular system are essential for the overall health of an individual since the body is provided with fundamental nutrients and oxygen through this system. Therefore, the maintenance of the healthy circulatory system should be the most important thing for every person. However, there are various disorders and diseases can be developed within this system and can affect its majorparts.

Decreased cardiac output

One of the heart problems is decreased cardiac output, but let us first explain what cardiac output is. We know that the heart pumps the blood. Well, the cardiac output is the amount of the blood that heart pumps in one minute. The heart output is measured in dm3/min and it is estimated that the heart output in a healthy man is about 5 dm3/min, while in a healthy woman it is about 4.5 dm3/min. When the heart pumps less blood than it is considered to be normal, it is a condition called decreased cardiac output, and it can appear due to various reasons.

Causes of decreased cardiac output

It is quite normal that various heart disorders and diseases are the main causes for the incidence of the decreased cardiac output. Therefore, it is even expectable that congenital heart disease and myocardial infarction will cause the heart to malfunction and pump less amounts of blood per minute. Furthermore, it is also regarded that high blood pressure, valvular heart disease and arrhythmia are all possible culprits for the occurrence of decreased cardiac output. Among the causative factors of this heart disorder are also pulmonary disease, decreased fluid volume and fluid overload, as well as drug effects.

Symptoms of decreased cardiac output

Although the hypotension is the main symptom of this condition, it can be manifested through numerous other symptoms among which are arrhythmias, dyspnea, decreased peripheral pulses and angina as well as edema, tachypnea and syncope. Furthermore, people with decreased heart output may also experience orthopnea, weight gain, dizziness and confusion. Anxiety, weakness and tiredness are also some of the symptoms that can appear when this heart disorder is in the question.

Treatment of decreased cardiacoutput

What medication will be prescribed for the treatment of decreased heart output depends only the causative factor. However, in the majority of cases, the doctors prescribe diuretics, ACE inhibitors or antidysrhythmics. Furthermore, digitalis therapy and vasodilator therapy are also used for the effective treatment of decreased cardiac output.