Answer: Cardiac index (CI) is a haemodynamic parameter that relates the cardiac output (CO) from left ventricle in one minute to body surface area (BSA),thus relating heart performance to the size of the individual. The unit of measurement is litres per minute per square metre (L/min/m2).
Explanation: Cardiac index: A cardiodynamic measure based on the cardiac output, which is the amount of blood the left ventricle ejects into the systemic circulation in one minute, measured in liters per minute (l/min).
Cardiac output is indexed to a patient's body size by dividing by the body surface area to yield the cardiac index.
The index is usually calculated using the following formula