Question

How would a decrease in blood volume affect both stroke and volume and cardiac output?

A. increased stroke volume and increased cardiac output
B. decreased stroke volume and decreased cardiac output
C. decreased stroke volume and no change in cardiac output
D. no change in stroke volume and decreased cardiac output

Answer 1

A decrease in blood volume leads to a decreased stroke volume and, thus, a decreased cardiac output, as there is less blood available to pump with each heartbeat.

Step-by-step explanation:

How would a decrease in blood volume affect both stroke volume and cardiac output? The correct answer to this question is B. decreased stroke volume and decreased cardiac output. When there is a decrease in blood volume, it means that there is less blood available to be pumped by the heart with each beat, which leads to a decreased stroke volume. Consequently, because cardiac output is the product of the stroke volume and the heart rate, the cardiac output will also decrease if the stroke volume is diminished. This is because there's simply less blood filling the heart, which results in a lower amount of blood being ejected with each contraction.