The volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle into the aorta each minute is called cardiac output. <span>Cardiac output can be defined as the product of the heart rate or the number of heartbeats per minute (bpm), and the stroke volume which is the volume of blood pumped from the ventricle per beat.</span>
Infants are able to regulate cardiac output by changing the stroke volume to a greater extent than presumed, at least when cardiac output is influenced by changes in the mean airway pressure.
