Cardiac Function

Define cardiac output and cardiac work
Discuss the length tension relationship of cardiac muscle
Discuss the concepts of preload, afterload and contractility
Discuss the pressure volume loop

• Cardiac Loads

Discuss central venous pressure and venous return

Central venous pressure is usually quite low: less than 10mmHg.

Venous return (i.e. amount of venous blood getting back to the heart) is driven by a range of factors, including amount of venous constriction (venous tone or veno-tone), contraction of surrounding skeletal muscles, pressure gradients formed by the process of respiration, and so on. Venous return can influence pre-load and thus stroke volume, as described in the blog post linked below:

• Cardiac Output and Blood Pressure