Has anyone heard of the FICK Equation for cardiac output?

Question

What about the n umber of variables and immense value of the FICK equation for cardiac output? I would rank it very high in usefullness for the benefit of mankind in the medical community!

Answer 1

Cardiac output can be estimated in mammals and birds from Fick's principle. Fick’s principle states that the rate of diffusion is proportional to the difference in concentration. Similarly, the volume of oxygen consumed per unit time is proportional to the difference in oxygen content between arterial and venous blood. The degree of proportionality depends on the volume of blood pumped per unit time, or cardiac output (Q). Therefore, cardiac output (Q) can be calculated from the equation

VO2 = Q(Ca -Cv)

where VO2 is the volume of oxygen consumed per unit time, Ca and Cv are the arterial and venous oxygen concentrations. Experimentally, the volume of oxygen consumed and oxygen concentration in the blood can be calculated. We can then solve for cardiac output (Q). Unfortunately, using Fick’s principle requires can be misleading in animals where arterial and venous blood may mix, such as reptiles and amphibians, or in animals that uptake a considerable amount of oxygen through their skin.

Kiceniuk and Jones (1977) collected data for trout on volume of oxygen consumed (VO2) and cardiac output (Q) at different levels of activity. When VO2 is plotted as a function of Q, we do indeed get a line where the slope is given by approximately Ca –Cv. In reality, Ca-Cv changes slightly as activity increases.

To read more, just do a Google search on "cardiac output."

Answer 2

Fick Equation

Answer 3

Fick Equation
VO2 max is properly defined by the Fick Equation:
VO2max = Q(CaO2 − CvO2)
where Q is the cardiac output of the heart, CaO2 is the arterial oxygen content, and CvO2 is the venous oxygen content.