What is the term that describes the volume of blood circulated by the heart in one minute?

The term that describes the volume of blood circulated by the heart in one minute is cardiac output (CO). This measurement is a crucial indicator of the efficiency of the heart's functioning and is calculated by multiplying stroke volume (the amount of blood ejected by the heart with each beat) by heart rate (the number of beats per minute). Understanding cardiac output is essential in assessing a patient's hemodynamic status, particularly in emergency situations where proper circulation is vital for maintaining organ function and overall health.

Stroke volume, while related, refers specifically to the volume of blood pumped out of the heart with each contraction, rather than a per-minute measure. Blood pressure is a measurement of the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels and does not quantify blood volume movement. Heart rate indicates how many times the heart beats in one minute but does not reflect how much blood is being circulated in that time frame.

Thus, the focus on cardiac output captures the entirety of blood flow per minute, making it the correct term for this concept.